July 30th
Born July 30, 1859; died February 27, 1951 at the age of 91.
An American physicist and administrator who was credited with creating the first X-ray photograph in the United States on January 12, 1896, while professor of physics and astronomy at Davidson College in North Carolina. Smith created an X-ray of a bullet fired at the corpse’s hand, which was published in the Charlotte Observer. Shortly afterwards, he made the first clinical use of X-rays to find a cartridge stuck in a young girl’s throat, allowing her to be surgically removed. He founded a plant for electric light. Towards the end of World War I, his idea of informing the German population about President Wilson’s peace plans was accepted.
