Wilhelm Rontgen

Wihelm Rontgen was a German physicist who was the first person to systematically produce and detect electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range today known as X-rays or Röntgen rays. His discovery of X-rays was a great revolution in the fields of physics and medicine and electrified the general public. He named it X-radiation to signify an unknown type of radiation. His discovery earned him the Rumford Medal of the Royal Society of London in 1896 and the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. He is also known for his discoveries in mechanics, heat, and electricity.

X-ray film displays the radiographic image and consists of emulsion of silver halide which, when exposed to light, produces a sliver ion and an electron. The electrons get attached to the sensitivity specks and attract the silver ion.

X-ray films use a lot of silver and thus its discovery created a secondary business of recovering silver from X-rays.