A chance discovery is a discovery that was discovered accidentally. An important discovery is due to Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (Roentgen), German mechanical engineer and physicist, born March 27, 1845. Wilhelm Röntgen was 40 years old and a professor of physics at the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg when he discovered the Rays X by accident. The German physicist was preparing to begin an experiment with cathode rays, the light beams of electrons that pass through a vacuum tube when electricity is applied. In his dark laboratory, he covered the tube with black cardboard, but suddenly, at that moment, he noticed a flash of light on the screen across the room. At one point, he held up a small lead disc and saw a terrifying shadow (the shape of the disc itself) on the screen along with a skeletal outline of the bones in his hand. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essay Seeing this strange reaction, he had discovered a new form of electromagnetic radiation, but he didn't know what it was , so he simply called it "X". His scientific achievement was to recognize that he had discovered something new and he continued to study it. Röntgen did not leave his laboratory for the next six weeks, the time to deepen his knowledge and research on this chance discovery. He stayed there, working, even though his apartment was one floor above the laboratory. A few days after this accidental discovery, the German mechanical engineer and physicist was able to make the first X-ray image of a part of the human body, namely his wife's hand. Six years later, he received the first-ever Nobel Prize in physics. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Personalized Test The discovery of X-rays has radically improved clinical diagnosis. It was used regularly during the First World War. It has been used to diagnose bone lesions, as well as bacterial infections, such as tuberculosis. Nowadays, X-ray technology is not only used to diagnose diseases, it is also used during operations, such as when removing a tumor, to monitor the location of medical supplies. In fact, x-ray technology is widely used in everyday life, in industrial environments and during security checks at airports for example. To summarize, Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen accidentally discovered one of the most important and useful tools in the world, the X-ray.