Here's a timeline of Dr. Borlaug's life:
- 1914 - Born in Cresco, Iowa.
- 1933 - Leaves his family's farm to attend the University of Minnesota, thanks to a Depression era program known as the "National Youth Administration".
- 1935 - Has to stop school and save up more money. Works in the Civilian Conservation Corps, helping starving Americans.
- 1937 - Finishes university and takes a job in the US Forestry Service.
- 1938 - Marries wife of 69 years Margret Gibson. Gets laid off due to budget cuts. Inspired by Elvin Charles Stakman, he returns to school to study breeding pest-resistant plants.
- 1941 - Tries to enroll in the military after the Pearl Harbor attack but is rejected. Instead, the military asks his lab to work on waterproof glue, DDT to control malaria, disinfectants, and other applied science.
- 1942 - Receives a Ph.D. in Genetics and Plant Pathology.
- 1944 - Rejects a 100% salary increase from DuPont, leaves behind his pregnant wife, and flies to Mexico to head a new plant pathology program.
- 1945 - Discovers a way to grow wheat twice each season, doubling wheat yields.
- 1953 - Crosses a short, sturdy dwarf breed of wheat with a high-yielding American breed, creating a strain that provides 95% of Mexico's wheat.
- 1962 - Visits Delhi and brings his high-yielding strains of wheat to India to help mitigate mass starvation.
- 1970 - Receives the Nobel Peace Prize.
- 1983 - Helps seven African countries increase their maize and sorghum yields.
- 1984 - Becomes a distinguished professor at Texas A&M University.
- 2005 - States that the world will need to double its food supply by 2050. Advocates for genetically modified crops.
- 2009 - Dies at the age of 95.
"Borlaug's life and achievement are testimony to the far-reaching contribution that one man's towering intellect, persistence, and scientific vision can make to human peace and progress."
-- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
If you have time, you should read more about this incredible human being on his Wikipedia entry.
