The identity of x-rays was initially mysterious, their connotations including morbidity and the otherworldly. Gradually they became routine, finding a place in the high-energy end of the electromagnetic spectrum. Radiologists established a niche in hospitals, contributing to the industrialization of health care. Control of x-ray tube output was improved while an infrastructure enforcing radiation protection accompanied the continued growth of the field. X-ray diffraction proved a powerful tool with which to examine substances at the atomic scale. Since 1950, x-ray researchers have taken advantage of synchrotrons' copious production of continuous x-ray spectra, and the marriage of x-rays with electronics has led to a cornucopia of cheap and highly efficient analytical tools.

• The new radiation: what is it good for?
• The medical market
• X-ray diffraction: a tool for probing the atomic scale
• Protection: an infrastructure
• The marriage of the computer with the x-ray
• Controlling and quantifying: Sources and detectors