The day is sponsored by the RSNA, the American College of Radiology (ACR), and the European Society of Radiology (ESR). Some 170 international radiology societies worldwide have scheduled public lectures, media events, and other activities to promote greater awareness of the role radiology plays in research and the diagnosis and treatment of patients, according to the ACR.

The event is held every November 8 to coincide with the discovery of the x-ray by German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen.