When were the first x-rays discovered?

Karl Wilhelm Rontgen (1845—1923) astounded people with the first x-rays in 1895; this was followed three years later by the discovery of radium by Pierre and Marie Curie. But who were they? In 1894, Marie and Pierre Curie met while studying in Paris. Their marriage on 25th July 1895 marked the start of a partnership which was to receive worldwide recognition.
     The Curies discovered radium, a radioactive substance, in uranium oxide ore. They developed techniques for extracting it, but first did not fully understand its properties. Pierre Curie used to carry radium around in his waistcoat pocket and could not understand why he was developing a massive sore on his chest. This would have been fatal, but Pierre’s life was cut short in 1906 when he was knocked down and killed by a horse and cart in the street. From then on, Marie devoted herself to completing the work that they had begun together.
     Marie and Pierre Curie were awarded a joint Nobel Prize in 1904, followed up by a second one for Marie in 1911. Their research was crucial in the development of x-rays in surgery. During World War I Marie Curie helped to equip ambulances, which she drove to the front lines, with x-ray equipment. The International Red Cross made her head of its Radiological Service and she held training courses for medical orderlies and doctors in the new techniques.
     Despite her success, Marie faced great opposition from male scientists in France and she never received the recognition she deserved. She died in 1934 from leukaemia, due to exposure to high- energy radiation used in her research. Radiation has since been used to treat cancer worldwide.