Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen

On the 27th of March 1845 at 4 pm Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen sees the light of day in Lennep. As the single child of the wealthy cloth merchant Friedrich Conrad Röntgen and his wife Charlotte Constanze he is raised in the Dutch City of Apeldoorn, where his family moves three years after his birth.

Röntgen has attended the Technical School in Utrecht for a year when an incident occurs. He is caught by his teacher while admiring a caricature that a fellow classmate has produced of the strict educator. Röntgen refuses to give away the name of the culprit but his loyalty has consequences: He has to leave school without a final degree.

The acquaintance with August Kundt becomes a decisive turning point in Röntgen’s life. The young professor sparks his enthusiasm for physics, which up to this point had not been one of his interests. Röntgen prepares his dissertation with the title “Studies on gases”. Inspired by the diligence and ability of his protégé, Kundt takes him along as an assistant after having received his appointment at the Julius Maximilians University Würzburg in 1870.

Following his habilitation, the young professor rapidly attracts the attention of several universities. The first to enroll him is the Agricultural Academy of Hohenheim. But the financial resources for his institute are limited and Röntgen feels uncomfortable, having been spoiled in this respect during his time in Strasbourg. When his mentor August Kundt supports him for the position as second physicist in Strasbourg, Röntgen makes an early return in 1876. Over the next years they jointly publish a series of scientific papers that gain a high level of recognition within the scientific community.

After having turned down calls from the Universities of Utrecht and Jena, Röntgen accepts the position of Professor for Experimental Physics and Director of the Institute of Physics in Würzburg. He will work here for 12 years. In those days faculty members live in the “Pleicher” area. When going for a walk, they meet in the “Glacis”, a park surrounding the old part of town, thus creating a big circle of friends. In particular, the Röntgen and the Boveri families become close friends. Later, they will often speak of the happiest times of their lives.

In Würzburg, Röntgen begins his research on cathode rays and their effects. During one of his experiments in a darkened room his eyes fall on brightly fluorescent crystals that happen to lie next to the cathode ray tube. He attributes this phenomenon to a kind of rays so far unknown, which he calls, X-rays. Only after tireless further investigations does he publish his discovery on the 28th of December. This will soon become a sensation. Following an invitation by the Physical-Medical Society of Würzburg, Röntgen gives his only public talk on this topic on the 23rd of January 1896. During the lecture, in front of the audience, he performs an X-ray of the hand of the anatomist Albert von Kölliker, who then suggests to rename the x-rays “Röntgen”-rays. The audience agrees in a standing ovation.

The Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität appoints Röntgen to the significantly larger Institute of Physics in Munich. Röntgen therefore leaves his beloved Würzburg. There, together with his pupil Abraham Joffé, he studies the physical properties of crystals. Bertha Röntgen enjoys the milder climate in Munich that suits her affected health. Röntgen himself is also struggling repeatedly with ill health. Age and the work load at the University take their toll.

In the meantime, the Röntgen family has transferred its holiday home within the Upper Bavarian community of Weilheim into their permanent residence. Yet, they are not granted the privilege of spending the remaining years of their lives in peace. Bertha passes away on the 31th of October 1919 after years of illness. Röntgen had actually applied for the emeritus status in 1912, but a year later he refrained from this plan. Until the 1st of April 1920 he continues to teach at Munich University On February 10th, 1923 Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen passes away at the age of 77. His ashes are laid to rest in Gießen next to the grave of his wife and his parents.