HISTORY OF
RADIATION
1895 1896
Wilhelm Konrad Antoine-Henri Becquerel
Roentgen discovers
discovers rays produced
x‑rays.
by uranium, the first
observation of natural
 
radioactivity. Concerns
first raised about possible
injuries from x‑ray
exposures. Elihu
Thomson conducts
experiments on x‑ray
burns
Lyka H. Mahusay
10- EUCLID
1898 1899 1900
Marie and Pierre Curie
First malpractice lawsuit Paul Ulrich Villard
is awarded for x‑ray is the first to
discover that thorium
burns. Ernst Rutherford
gives off "uranium rays," discovers that
observe that
which Marie renames
radioactivity from gamma radiation is
"radioactivity." Marie more penetrating
uranium has at least two
and Pierre Curie discover different forms, which he than x‑rays.
polonium and announce calls alpha and beta rays.
the existence of another
Fritz Geisel, Antoine-
new radioactive element
Henri Becquerel, and
they name radium. Paul Marie Curie prove that
Ulrich Villard discovers beta rays consist of high-
gamma rays.
speed electrons.
 HISTORY OF
RADIATION

1901 1903 1903 1911 1912

Antoine-Henri Becquerel George Perthes discovers First reports linking
Wilhelm Konrad
and, Pierre and Marie that x‑rays can inhibit the x‑rays to leukemia and Hundreds of young
Roentgen wins the growth of tumors and
Curie share the Nobel cancer in physicians is women working in
Nobel Prize in physics Prize for physics, proposes the use of x‑rays published. Arthritis plants in New York and
for his discovery of Becquerel for his in the treatment of cancer. patient dies from Radium- Illinois are accidentally
x‑rays. X‑rays are discovery of natural 226 injections. exposed to a luminous
shown to be lethal to radioactivity, and the paint containing radium
mammals through Curies for their study of while painting dials for
experiments radioactivity. First watches and clocks.
conducted by W.H. observation notes that
Rollins. radioactivity can induce
tissue and organ damage.
 HISTORY OF
RADIATION

1913 1915 1920 1922 1924

British Roentgen Society First x‑ray protection Film badges first
Hans Geiger unveils developed to measure First radiation
proposes standards for committee is formed by
his radiation detector. exposures to radiation. tolerance dose proposed
radiation protection of the American Roentgen
Ray Society. Amelia Maggia is first of by Arthur Mutscheller
workers. the "Radium Dial for use as a guide to
Painters" to die from limiting exposure of an
radiation poisoning. individual to radiation
 HISTORY OF
RADIATION

1927 1930 1936 1938 1939

H.J. Muller shows British Roentgen Society The "Martyrs Memorial" Otto Hahn is the first to
that mutations can be is erected in Hamburg, split the atom of uranium, Lise Meiter, who worked
proposes standards for
induced in Germany containing the opening up the possibility with Otto Hahn on
radiation protection of splitting the uranium atom,
Drosophila names of 169 physicians of a chain reaction.
workers. leaves Austria as World
and technicians who died
melanogaster by low War II is beginning and
from radiation-induced
levels of x‑rays. diseases. goes to Sweden. She
publishes a paper on the
work she did with Hahn,
and this paper stimulates
the drive to produce the
atomic bomb.
 HISTORY OF
RADIATION

1941 1941 1942 1943 1945

L.S. Taylor recommends The Manhattan Project is Studies exploring the
Glenn Seaborg lowering the x‑ray formed to secretly build toxicology of uranium First atomic bomb is exploded
exposure dose to 0.02 the atomic bomb; Los begins at the University of in the desert near Alamagordo,
discovers plutonium. Rochester.
Roentgens/day. Alamos, New Mexico, is New Mexico. Little Boy,” the
The U.S. Committee selected as the site H.M. second atomic bomb, is dropped
on X‑ray Protection Parker shows that a on Hiroshima. "Fat Man,” the
recommends adoption radiation dose of 4 hird atomic bomb, is dropped
of maximum body Roentgens/day is on Nagasaki. The Joint
burden of 0.1 hazardous to humans. The Committee for the Investigation
world's first nuclear
microCurie for of the Effects of the Atomic
reactor is activated Oak
radium Ridge, Tennessee. Bomb in Japan formed.
 HISTORY OF
RADIATION

1945 1945 1946 1946 1946

Eighteen human Nuclear physicist and future
Director of the Oak Ridge
subjects are injected
National Laboratory, Alvin M.
intravenously with Weinberg, tells the Senate's
plutonium at Los Special Committee on Atomic
Alamos to determine Energy that "Atomic power
how it is distributed can cure as well as kill. It can
fertilize and enrich a region as
in the body and what well as devastate it. It can
adverse effects are widen man's horizons as well
induced. as force him back into the
cave."
Oak Ridge National
Laboratory forms a
Biology Division for the
purpose of studying the
biological effects of
radiation. Argonne
National Laboratory is
established as the nation's
first national laboratory
devoted to exploring the
applications and effects of
radiation.
Helmuth Ulrich publishes Bill and Liane Russell begin their extensive
paper showing leukemia experiments with mice to study the genetic
rate among radiologists effects of radiation Congress passes
to be 8 times higher than Public Law 79-585 (The U.S. Atomic
Energy Act) creating the Atomic Energy
in other medical doctors. Commission (AEC), charged with
conducting a comprehensive program of
research and development related to the
utilization of fissionable and radioactive
materials for medical, biological, and
health purposes. President Truman directs
the National Academy of Sciences to initiate
studies to determine the long-term effects of
the atomic bomb on survivors.
 HISTORY OF
RADIATION

1947 1949 1950 1951 1955

Atomic Bomb
USSR explodes its President Truman calls First atomic test occurs in
Several state health officials in
first atomic bomb. for atomic testing of Nevada; five bombs
areas exposed to nuclear fallout
Casualty Commission nuclear weapons in the from the Nevada bomb tests
detonated on successive
(ABCC) created to continental United days. Radioactive fallout
conducted during the 1951-1954
study the biological States in addition to period begin speaking out on the
reaches the New England
effects of radiation on testing in the Pacific. possible adverse health effects of
area in two days.
Studies of the effects of bomb fallout.
Japanese atomic
bomb survivors. radium on beagle dogs
Ames Laboratory begin at the University
of Utah and the
established in Iowa as
University of California
a result of a project at Davis.
 HISTORY OF
RADIATION

1958 1958 1958 1958

The report condemns the Debate begins among
A National Academy excessive use of x‑rays in Former AEC official, John C. scientists and politicians
of Sciences Bugher, declares at an about the hazards of
medical and dental American Public Health
Committee issues a practices, exposures to Association meeting that an
radiation to human
report asserting no pregnant women, and atomic power program would populations. The United
safe threshold for present a much greater health States explodes the first
people being fitted for
threat than nuclear weapons, airborne hydrogen bomb
radiation exposure. shoes. due to large quantities of over Bikini Atoll in the
radioactive chemicals emitted Pacific.
into the environment during
power generation.