Who discovered X-rays and in what year?

The discovery of X-rays is attributed to Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, who made this groundbreaking finding in 1895. His experiments with cathode rays led him to identify a new type of radiation, which he named X-rays due to their unknown nature at the time. Roentgen's work was pivotal in the field of medical imaging and transformed diagnostic medicine.

The other individuals listed were significant figures in their own right, but their contributions do not pertain to the discovery of X-rays. Marie Curie, for instance, is renowned for her work on radioactivity and for discovering elements like polonium and radium but was not involved in the discovery of X-rays. Thomas Edison had a notable role in the development of fluoroscopy and other aspects of imaging technology but did not discover X-rays themselves. Heinrich Hertz made contributions to the study of electromagnetism, but his findings were more related to radio waves rather than X-rays. Thus, Roentgen’s identification of X-rays is a landmark event in science and medicine, making the correct answer clear.