Born: 27 March 1845 · Died: 10 February 1923 · Age at death: 77
How old was Wilhelm Röntgen when he died?
Wilhelm Röntgen died aged 77. He was born on 27 March 1845 and died on 10 February 1923.
German physicist who discovered X-rays in 1895 and won the first ever Nobel Prize in Physics
Did you know?He refused to patent his discovery or have it named after him, believing his findings should benefit all of humanity.
Quick facts
Date of birth27 March 1845
Date of death10 February 1923
Age at death77
Cause of deathColorectal cancer
NationalityGerman
BirthplaceLennep, Germany
Occupationphysicist, professor, engineer
Editor's Take:
Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays and changed medicine almost overnight. In November 1895, working alone in his laboratory in Würzburg, he noticed a screen glowing across the room. He realised an unknown kind of ray was passing through materials. Within weeks he had photographed the bones of his wife's hand. Hospitals around the world began using X-rays within months. He refused to patent his discovery, wanting it to benefit everyone. In 1901 he received the first Nobel Prize in Physics.
Key Milestones
1888: Würzburg – professor of physics
1895: X-rays – discovery
1895: Wife's hand – first famous X-ray image
1901: Nobel Prize – first in physics
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (27 March 1845 – 10 February 1923) was a German experimental physicist who produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range known as X-rays (known as Röntgen rays in many languages).
