Röntgen's wife was the first to see X-rayed bones

A closer look

Discovering groundbreaking medical imaging is cool, but subjecting your spouse to it is legendary. When Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays in 1895, he tested the invisible rays on his wife's hand, capturing the dark shadows of her bones and her wedding ring. Upon seeing her own skeletal structure entirely stripped of flesh, she reportedly exclaimed, 'I have seen my death!'—which is exactly the reaction you want when testing your new laboratory toy.