Ever heard of Wilhelm Röntgen? This German physician discovered X-rays towards the end of the 19th century having achieved his PhD and carried out a number of experiments on cathode rays. However, his school days didn’t exactly go according to plan... at just 17, he was kicked out of high school when one of his teachers unfairly blamed him when they intercepted an unflattering caricature of a member of staff. He went on to win the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.