Willard Libby
Developed radiocarbon dating, revolutionizing archaeology and palaeontology.
- field
- Physical chemistry
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Development of radiocarbon dating
Lore & Background
During the 1930s, he built sensitive Geiger counters to measure weak natural and artificial radioactivity, and independently discovered that natural long-lived isotopes of samarium decay by alpha particle emission. After the war, he accepted a professorship at the University of Chicago's Institute for Nuclear Studies, where he developed the technique for dating organic compounds using carbon-14. He also discovered that tritium could be used for dating water and wine.
Reader's Guide
His work built on earlier discoveries about cosmic rays and carbon-14, and he created sensitive radiation detectors to make the technique practical. The method's reliability was confirmed by tests against sequoia tree rings with known dates.
Did You Know?
- Libby discovered that tritium could be used for dating water and wine.
- He played tackle on his high school football team and grew to be 6 feet 2 inches tall.
- During the Manhattan Project, he worked on the gaseous diffusion process for uranium enrichment at Columbia University.
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