Trivia Question 1 Answer

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The best answer is Wilhelm Roentgen. Roentgenium (Rg) was discovered in 1994. This element does not occur naturally and has no actual known use. But, it is a nice tribute to the discoverer of medical x-rays. For his contribution, he was awarded a Nobel prize in 1901.

There are others with elements named after them who made contributions to science that directly impact the practice of radiology. Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel prize, is first among them. She was a physicist and chemist who, along with her husband Pierre, advanced our understanding of radioactivity. Among the accomplishments was the isolation of polonium and radium. Additionally, she had direct contributions to radiology and patient care as she invented a mobile x-ray unit used in world war 1. Tragically and ironically, she died of aplastic anemia from radiation exposure.