Did people use uranium before nukes?

[The Last Conformist]

I'm pretty sure that Tritium isn't flourescent, so it would be useless for glow-in-the-dark watches anyway.

 

[brennan]

Nope, that was the German Konrad Röntgen.
Which is why Germans, Scandinavians etc. call "X-rays", "Röntgen-rays".

Not quite

All unknown rays were called X-rays at the time because no one knew what they were. Rontgen discovered the ones we now know as X-rays, Bequerel discovered what we now know as nuclear radiation.

 

[Speedo]

I'm pretty sure that Tritium isn't flourescent, so it would be useless for glow-in-the-dark watches anyway.

Wiki sayeth:

The emitted electrons from small amounts of Tritium cause phosphors to glow so as to make self-illuminating devices called trasers which are now used in watches and exit signs. It is also used in certain countries to make glowing keychains. In recent years, the same process has been used to make self-illuminating gun sights for pistols and rifles. These take the place of Radium, which is chemically poisonous and so has been banned for decades.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium

 

[Sophie 378]

They should call this the Furious Debate and Obscure Facts forum, not Offtopic!