In November, 1895 the German physicist Wilhelm Konrad Rentgen made an experiment on studying of a luminescence which was caused by cathode beams.

For increase in effect he placed an electron beam tube and the luminescing substance in a black cardboard box and tightly curtained off windows in laboratory. Having included an electron beam tube, Rentgen unexpectedly saw flash of light in other half of the room.

It appeared, light proceeded from the sheet of paper covered platinotsianidy barium — the luminescing substance. Rentgen was much surprised and switched off an electron beam tube — the luminescence disappeared. Again included a tube — the luminescence appeared again. Then he transferred paper to other room — it continued to shine.

It became clear to the scientist that in an electron beam tube there was a certain form of the radiation capable to get not only through cardboard, but also through walls. Rentgen had no ideas concerning the nature of these beams therefore he called them X-rays (H-beams).

Rentgen was engaged in H-beams about a year and published about them three articles in which there was an exhaustive description of new beams, hundreds of works of his followers published then for 12 years subsequently, could not neither add, nor change nothing essential.

Rentgen who lost interest in H-beams spoke to the colleagues: "I already wrote everything, do not waste time". Already other scientists began to call them x-ray. For their opening to Rentgen in 1901 the Nobel Prize on physics was awarded. It is interesting that the greatest impression on scientists was made by the picture of a hand taken by means of H-beams.

In Russia beams began to call "x-ray" at the initiative of the pupil V.K. Rentgen — Abram Fyodorovich Yoffe.

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