Willard Libby

Willard Libby was an American physical chemist who developed radiocarbon dating and received the 1960 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Ernest C. Anderson: Ernest C. Anderson was an American botanist who collaborated with Libby on early radiocarbon research. Anderson helped establish the method’s early measurements and applications.
Carbon-14: Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope of carbon that forms in the atmosphere and decays over time. Libby’s dating method depends on measuring this isotope in once-living material.
University of Chicago: The University of Chicago is a private research university founded in 1890 in Chicago, Illinois. Libby conducted the research that established radiocarbon dating there.
Radiocarbon revolution in archaeology: The radiocarbon revolution in archaeology was the replacement of many relative chronologies with measurable calendar-age estimates. Libby’s method gave archaeologists a way to date organic remains across sites.
James Arnold: James Arnold was an American chemist who collaborated with Libby in developing radiocarbon dating. Arnold helped demonstrate that radioactive carbon could date archaeological materials.
Radiocarbon calibration: Radiocarbon calibration converts measured radiocarbon ages into calendar dates using independently dated records. Libby’s method yields conventional ages that require calibration to match calendar time.
Manhattan Project: The Manhattan Project was the United States-led wartime program that developed the first atomic weapons. Libby’s experience in wartime isotope research shaped his postwar radiocarbon work.
Dendrochronology: Dendrochronology dates wooden objects and environmental events by matching annual tree-ring patterns. Tree rings provide independent calendar dates used to test and calibrate radiocarbon ages.
Frederick Johnson: Frederick Johnson was an American archaeologist who helped organize the radiocarbon dating program at the University of Chicago. Johnson connected Libby’s laboratory method with archaeological research.
Libby half-life: The Libby half-life is the conventional radiocarbon half-life of 5,568 years, adopted for consistency in dating. Libby’s early decay measurements established the value behind conventional radiocarbon ages.

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K–Ar datingCompared with: His method dates recent organic material, providing a historical counterpart to K–Ar dating.