| 1895 | Discovery of X‑rays | Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen | Birth of radiology; first imaging of bones and foreign bodies |
| 1896 | First clinical use of X‑rays | John Hall‑Edwards | First medical X‑ray used in surgery |
| 1898 | Discovery of radium & polonium | Marie & Pierre Curie | Foundation for radiation therapy |
| 1901 | First Nobel Prize in Physics for X‑rays | Röntgen | Global recognition of radiology |
| 1913 | Coolidge hot‑cathode X‑ray tube | William D. Coolidge | Stable, high‑quality X‑ray production |
| 1918 | Mobile X‑ray units in WWI | Marie Curie | Portable imaging for battlefield medicine |
| 1930s | Contrast media development | Multiple researchers | Enabled visualization of vessels & organs |
| 1946 | Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) discovered | Felix Bloch & Edward Purcell | Foundation for MRI physics |
| 1950s | Ultrasound applied to medicine | Ian Donald | First obstetric and abdominal ultrasound |
| 1956 | First clinical nuclear medicine scan | Hal Anger | Development of the gamma camera |
| 1960s | Doppler ultrasound | Shigeo Satomura | Real‑time blood‑flow imaging |
| 1971 | First CT scan performed | Sir Godfrey Hounsfield & Allan Cormack | Cross‑sectional imaging revolution |
| 1973 | First MRI image produced | Paul Lauterbur | Demonstrated magnetic resonance imaging |
| 1977 | First human MRI scan | Raymond Damadian | MRI enters clinical practice |
| 1980s | PET imaging developed | Michael Phelps & colleagues | Functional metabolic imaging |
| 1990s | Spiral (helical) CT | Multiple engineering teams | Faster scans, 3D reconstructions |
| 1998 | First digital radiography (DR) systems | Multiple manufacturers | Film replaced by digital detectors |
| 2000s | Multidetector CT (MDCT) | Industry‑wide innovation | High‑speed, high‑resolution CT |
| 2010s | Hybrid imaging (PET/CT, PET/MRI) | Multiple research groups | Combined anatomical + functional imaging |
| 2020s | AI‑assisted radiology | Global research community | Automated detection, workflow optimization |
