See Also:
Beginning of a FAMOUS Hero: The Madame Curie Story.
Life Lesson #34 – Build a Positive Work Ethic.
William David was the only child of Albert and Amanda Coolidge. His parents owned a farm in Massachusetts during the late 1800s, so there was plenty of work for young Will to do. He also studied hard in the small school he attended. Somehow, Will still had time for a hobby. He loved taking pictures. In fact, he learned all he could about photography while he was still a young boy.
After graduating from high school in 1891, William was off to MIT (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) to study in the field of electrical engineering. Then he went to Germany where he could learn more about scientific research. It was there in 1898 that Will studied about X-rays which had been discovered only three years before but had not been perfected for practical use. After his return to the United States, William went to work for the General Electric Power Company where he created a tube that finally made X-rays both safe and convenient for the medical field.
Even though nearly 100 years have passed since his invention called the Coolidge tube, it is still the basic design used in the technology of X-ray today. No one could possibly count the number of lives that have been saved thanks to that little Massachusetts farm boy’s attitude of hard work, study, and interest in learning new things. And for that, William David Coolidge became a HERO.
– Jim Lord