X-ray Mania: How a Scientific Breakthrough Took Over Pop Culture (Re-Air)

Tickets: $18.88 ( incl. $3.88 fees ) (includes access to the full replay for one week)

Click the link below to officially register for this experience:

https://www.nyadventureclub.com/event/1978895582959

This is a re-aired recording of this program’s most recent live webinar. Once the viewing period ends, this recording will not be offered again for at least one year.

In the late 19th century, German scientist Wilhelm Röntgen discovered a previously unknown form of radiation that was invisible to the human eye — in fact, it was so unknown that it simply became known as ‘X.’ But how did this mysterious type of energy quickly become one of the public's most sought after scientific breakthroughs, even topping the popularity of wonders like harnessed electricity? It's time to uncover the incredible true story of how X-rays became modern society's X factor.

Join New York Adventure Club as we explore the sensational history of X-rays, from its initial discovery in 1895 to becoming commonly used in hospitals, shoe shops, beauty salons, and countless other industries.

Led by historian Lucy Jane Santos, our virtual experience around X-rays will include:

• The origins of the X-ray discovery by German scientist Wilhelm Röntgen and what the scientific community thought it could be used for
• A discussion of the world’s first X-ray photograph that left the recipient so horrified they proclaimed ‘I have seen my death’
• How science popularizer Thomas Edison demonstrated his own version of the X-ray (in typically dramatic form) at the 1896 National Electrical Exhibition in New York City
• The story of how X-rays moved from hospital setting to popular culture including poems, films, and cabarets
• The weird and wonderful commercial uses of X-rays from X-ray specs and ray-proof underwear, to beauty treatments and shoe fitting technology
• The reasons why its harmful side effects weren't understood for decades after its discovery

See you there, virtually!

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***A full replay of the experience will be available to all registered guests for up to a week
****If the event has already passed, but it's been less than a week, you can still register for it on our website's active replay section!

About Lucy
Lucy Jane Santos is a writer, presenter and consultant who seeks out the surprising stories that sit at the edges of familiar history. Her work ranges across beauty, science, technology, popular entertainment and nightlife, uncovering fresh angles and new insights into the moments that have shaped the modern world.

This expertise has led to historical consulting roles for film and television and to on-screen contributions in documentaries as seemingly diverse as Makeup: A Glamorous History (BBC2) and Mysteries of the Abandoned: Hidden America (Discovery +). Her research and commentary have also appeared in publications including History Today, BBC History Revealed, Vogue and the New York Post and in the London Transport Museum’s exhibition Art deco: the golden age of poster design.

She has been a judge for the Historical Writers’ Association Non-Fiction Crown, the recipient of the Stephen Joseph Research Award and was the Non-Fiction Writer In Residence for the Stay-at-Home! International Literature Festival. She is a co-founder of the Art Deco Society UK and the Cosmetic History and Makeup Studies Network.

Lucy is the author of the critically acclaimed Half Lives: The Unlikely History of Radium and Chain Reactions: A Hopeful History of Uranium, which explore the unexpected ways radioactivity entered everyday life. Her forthcoming work, Nobody’s Perfect: The Making of Some Like It Hot, will be published in 2026 to coincide with global celebrations of Marilyn Monroe’s centenary, and uncovers the layered story behind one of Hollywood’s most iconic movies.

T estimonials
" I'd like to see much more from this presenter - very well researched, considerate of the time allotted to her, and interesting topics" -SJ
" I liked the old ads for x-ray related products" -Ellen

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Photo Credit: Main Photo - Owen Beard
Categories: Virtual, Moments in History