The X - ray tube was voted the most significant scientific invention , in a poll by the Science Museum in 2006 . Out of almost 50,000 votes cast , one in five people chose it as the object they believed it had the greatest impact on the past , present and future . X - rays were followed by the discoveries of penicillin and the DNA double helix structure . They were so inspired by the news that they started constructing the equipment in their own home . The public voting began on 10 June this year as part of the Science Museum 's events to mark its centenary .
The X - ray tube was voted the most significant scientific invention , in a poll by the Science Museum in 2006 . Out of almost 50,000 votes cast , one in five people chose it as the object they believed it had the greatest impact on the past , present and future . X - rays were followed by the discoveries of penicillin and the DNA double helix structure . The public voting began on 10 June this year as part of the Science Museum 's events to mark its centenary .