On Jan. 5, 1896, the Austrian newspaper Wiener Presse reported that German physicist Wilhelm Rontgen had discovered a type of radiation now known as X-rays – the passage of an electric current through a gas of extremely low pressure.

Actually discovered by Roentgen in 1895, x-rays, or Roentgen Rays, were an instant spectacle in the medical and scientific communities. Initially used to examine internal injuries, scientists such as Thomas Edison began investigating new ways to use x-rays. The dark side of x-rays gradually emerged as people developed skin cancer and ‘x-ray disease’ after exposure to the rays.

Despite the danger, experimentation with x-rays continued in earnest.