Norman Borlaug

Norman Ernest Borlaug (born 25 March 1914) is an American agricultural scientist, humanitarian, Nobel laureate, and the father of the Green Revolution. Borlaug received his Ph.D. in plant pathology and genetics from the University of Minnesota in 1942. He took up an agricultural research position in Mexico, where he developed semi-dwarf high-yield, disease-resistant wheat varieties.

Honors and recognition

In 1968, Borlaug received what he considered an especially satisfying tribute when the people of Ciudad Obregón, where some of his earliest experiments were undertaken, named a street after him. Also in that year, he became a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

Related Topics:
Ciudad Obregón - National Academy of Sciences

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In 1984, his name was placed in the National Agricultural Hall of Fame at the national center in Bonner Springs, Kansas. Also that year, he was recognized for sustained service to humanity through outstanding contributions in plant breeding from the Governors Conference on Agriculture Innovations in Little Rock, Arkansas. Also in 1984, he received the Henry G. Bennet Distinguished Service Award at commencement ceremonies at Oklahoma State University.

Related Topics:
Bonner Springs, Kansas - Little Rock, Arkansas - Oklahoma State University

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In addition to the Nobel Prize, Borlaug has also received the 1977 U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, the 2002 Public Welfare Medal from the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the 2002 Rotary International Award for World Understanding and Peace. As of January 2004, Borlaug had received 49 honorary degrees from as many universities, in 18 countries, and was a foreign or honorary member of 22 international Academies of Sciences.{{mn|BorlaugCV|23}} In Iowa and Minnesota, "World Food Day", October 16, is referred to as "Norman Borlaug World Food Prize Day". Throughout the United States, it is referred to as "World Food Prize Day".

Related Topics:
Medal of Freedom - 2002 - National Academy of Sciences - Rotary International - January 2004 - World Food Day - October 16

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Several research institutions and buildings have been named in his honor, including: the Norman E. Borlaug Center for Farmer Training and Education, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, in 1983; Borlaug Hall, on the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota in 1985; Borlaug Building at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) headquarters in 1986; the Norman Borlaug Institute for Plant Science Research at De Montfort University, Leicester, United Kingdom in 1997; and the Norman E. Borlaug Center for Southern Crop Improvement, at Texas A&M University in 1999.

Related Topics:
Santa Cruz de la Sierra - Bolivia - 1983 - St. Paul - University of Minnesota - 1985 - De Montfort University - Leicester - United Kingdom - 1997 - 1999

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The stained-glass "World Peace Window" at St. Mark's Cathedral in Minneapolis, Minnesota, depicts "peace makers" of the 20th century, including Norman Borlaug.{{mn|Stainedglass|24}} Borlaug was also prominently mentioned on an episode of the The West Wing television show. The president of a fictional African country describes the kind of "miracle" needed to save his country from the ravages of AIDS by referencing an American scientist who was able to save the world from hunger through the development of a new type of wheat. The American president replies by providing Borlaug's name.

Related Topics:
Stained-glass - Minneapolis, Minnesota - The West Wing - Miracle - AIDS

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Borlaug was also featured in an episode of Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, where he was referred to as the "Greatest Human Being That Ever Lived". In that episode, Penn & Teller play a card game where each card depicts a great person in history. Each player picks a card at random, and bets on whether they think their card shows a greater person than the other players' cards. Penn gets Norman Borlaug, and proceeds to bet all his chips, his house, his rings, his watch, and essentially everything he's ever owned. He wins because, as he says "Norman Borlaug is the greatest human being that ever lived, and you've probably never heard of him."

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