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Cathode rays are streams of electrons emitted by the cathode of a discharge tube. They are generated when a high voltage is applied across the tube, causing ionization of the gas inside. The electrons are then accelerated towards the anode, and their impact on the anode produces X-rays. Cathode rays were first observed by the German physicist Heinrich Hertz in 1897, and they played a key role in the development of the electron theory of matter.