Libby biography

Grand Valley, Colorado, 17 December ; d. Los Angeles , California, 8 September ,. Libby is best known as the developer of the radiocarbon dating technique for determining the age of artifacts based on the radioactive isotope carbon ordinary carbon is primarily carbon , for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in He also developed a radioactive dating technique for substances using tritium hydrogen He served as Atomic Energy commissioner and advocated the use of fallout shelters and other measures to counter the perceived nuclear threat from the Soviet Union.

Libby radiocarbon dating

Early Life and Education. In the family, including Willard and his two brothers and two sisters, moved to an apple ranch north of San Francisco. A tall youth who would eventually grow to six feet, three inches, Willard developed his legendary strength by working on the farm. He attended elementary and high school in Sebastopol, California.

In high school he played tackle and was called Wild Bill, a nickname that followed him all his life. In Libby graduated from high school, and the following year he entered the University of California at Berkeley.