The discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in 1895 marked a revolution in physics and science. X-rays, with their short wavelength, were able to penetrate materials that were opaque to visible light, revealing the internal structure of objects. This property made X-rays a powerful tool for studying the atomic structure of crystals, leading to the demonstration of the DNA double helix in 1953.
In 1912, scientists invented X-ray crystallography, a technique that revealed a crystal’s atomic structure for the first time. By beaming X-rays at a crystal and analyzing the diffraction pattern, scientists could determine the arrangement of atoms within the crystal. This technique was a major breakthrough in the study of crystals and solid materials, providing a new insight into the nature of matter.