The x-ray centennial--Thompsons and Thomsons.
When x rays were discovered by Wilhelm Roentgen in November, 1895, the news spread rapidly through Europe, Great Britain, and the United States and many individuals became involved in their development. Some of the more prominent participants shared the name of Thompson or Thomson, which causes confusion when the history of x rays is discussed because of their similar pronunciation. In Britain they were William Thompson (Lord Kelvin), J. J. Thomson, and Silvanus P. Thompson and in the United States it was Elihu Thomson. In addition, one of the first books on x rays published in the United States was written by Edward Thompson.
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Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Louisville, Brown Cancer Center, Kentucky 40202.
D005060:Europe; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D011871:Radiology / Q000266:history*; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States