Short answers, pulled from the story.
Scientists at the University of Chicago announced radiocarbon dating in 1949. Willard Libby and his team published the method in the journal Science that same year after testing samples with known ages.
The half-life of carbon-14 is approximately 5,730 years. This specific rate of decay provides the mathematical foundation for calculating the age of organic samples.
Martin Kamen and Samuel Ruben synthesized carbon-14 in 1939 at the Radiation Laboratory at Berkeley. They used a cyclotron accelerator to create the isotope and discovered its half-life was far longer than previously thought.
The Suess effect causes a drop in the atmospheric carbon-14 ratio due to the burning of fossil fuels that contain almost no carbon-14. This phenomenon began in the late 19th century and requires calibration to correct dating errors.
The IntCal20 curve was published as of 2020 to serve as the standard for the northern hemisphere. It provides precise dating for samples up to 13,910 years before present using data from tree rings and other sources.
Willard Libby received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1960 for his work on radiocarbon dating. This award cemented the method's place in scientific history after more than twenty laboratories had been established worldwide.