Dr. Norman Borlaug

The man who saved a billion lives

personas-en-un-campo — Dr. Norman Borlaug, third from the left, trains biologists in Mexico on how to increase wheat yields - part of his life-long war on hunger.

Here's a time line 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. "I saw how food changed them", he said. "All of this left scars on me."

"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