Norman Borlaug, Green Revolutionary, Receives Congressional Gold Medal Tomorrow

Ronald Bailey | July 16, 2007

Norman Borlaug, who, through his research on crop productivity, saved more human lives than any person in history, will be honored tomorrow as the 139th recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, America's higest civilian honor. The honor is well-deserved. As the Washington Post notes Borlaug

...Ushered in a "green revolution" in agriculture that is credited with expanding access to food and consequently saving the lives of more than 1 billion people.

See my reason interview with Borlaug here.  

Comments

joe|7.16.07 @ 11:50AM|#

It is a disgrace that my hero, Al Gore, has not received this award yet. He has done more to help save billions of people than anyone in the history of mankind.

|7.16.07 @ 12:04PM|#

Funny, I was just about to write something nice about Borlaug.

Some people can do nothing but hate.

|7.16.07 @ 12:05PM|#

Clearly, the most important aspect of this story is the imagined opposition to it by some guy who disagrees with you about politics on the internet.

|7.16.07 @ 12:08PM|#

It's nice to see some recognition for the most underrated person in history.

e|7.16.07 @ 12:48PM|#

"saved more human lives than any person in history"

You're crediting with saving lives that only would have existed due to the people whose lives were originally saved. If I save someone from drowning and they later have 5 kids, did I save the lives of 6 people?

Clearly the proper recipient of this award is Gregor Mendel, without whose pioneering work Bourlag could not have developed his research. The lives that Bourlag saved are a proper subset that Mendel saved.

/just messin' wit ya..good for him.

highnumber|7.16.07 @ 1:43PM|#

Whew! I saw his name on the live bookmark feed and feared this was a death post.

Yay for Norman!

Yay for us!

|7.16.07 @ 1:58PM|#

And if Borlaug got there by standing on the shoulders of giant peas, then hooray Jolly Green Giant!

And Hooray, beer!

highnumber|7.16.07 @ 2:16PM|#

Tequila!

VM|7.16.07 @ 2:21PM|#

MERKIN!

|7.16.07 @ 3:18PM|#

wow you mean this guy is responsible for saving about the same amount of people religons have killed over the years?

Matt Damon|7.16.07 @ 3:19PM|#

URKOBOLD!

|7.16.07 @ 3:58PM|#

This was in the scietech news recently.
http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=5936
It seemsto contradict waht Bailey and Borlaug say about Organics

|7.16.07 @ 7:50PM|#

If I save someone from drowning and they later have 5 kids, did I save the lives of 6 people?

Uhh... yeah.

Duh.

|7.17.07 @ 1:24PM|#

i hope everyone can appriciate this guy as much as they should. how could anyone try and discredit one of thebest scientist in human history.

|7.19.07 @ 1:59AM|#

I'm amazed that this man has accomplished so much and I didn't even realize it until this story broke. Thanks

|7.27.07 @ 10:30AM|#

Hello!
We are a group of students from Temasek Junior College, Singapore, and are currently working on a project on Dr Norman Ernest Borlaug. We are in the midst of designing an organizer which will incorporate some of Borlaug's major contributions as a way of showcasing him as a groundbreaker. Please visit our web http://www.freewebs.com/normanborlaug/ to find out more details on our organizer.
And please leave some comments too! You can contact us through [e-mail]
thank you!