Remember when the x-ray machine was named “the most important modern scientific discovery” in a Science Museum of London poll in 2009. As part of its centenary year, the Science Museum organized an in-person and online poll in which approximately 50,000 people voted on the 10 greatest achievements in science.

The results of the poll machine revealed the x-ray machine as a clear number one with nearly 20% of the total votes. The remaining achievements were ranked as such:

•  Penicillin
•  DNA double helix
•  Apollo 10
•  V2 rocket engine
•  Pilot ACE (one of the first computers)
•  Steam engine
•  Model T Ford automobile
•  Electric telegraph

The Science Museum of London is home to the Reynolds x-ray machine, which was created by John and Russel Reynolds within months following German physicist Wilhelm Rontgen’s discovery of x-rays in November 1895. The x-ray machine’s popularity in this poll was likely attributed to the enormous impact it has had on people’s health and well-being. Furthermore, x-ra technology enabled us to see within our bodies what could previously never be seen. As such, the x-ray machine is truly a significant, if not the “greatest,” scientific achievement.