The Green Revolution
The 1960s and 1970s saw the spread of Norm's seeds to Asia and beyond. The term "Green Revolution" was coined by former US Agency for International Development director William Gaud.
Off to India and Pakistan
1962 - "M. S. Swaminathan a member of IARI's wheat program, requested of Dr. B. P. Pal, director of IARI, to arrange for the visit of Borlaug to India and to obtain a wide range of dwarf wheat seed possessing the Norin 10 dwarfing genes."
1963 - The Rockefeller Foundation and the Mexican government sent Borlaug and Dr. Robert Glenn Anderson to India to continue his work. At first, there was a great deal of opposition to Borlaug's wheat being used.
1963 - JFK is assassinated in Dallas. Learn More
1964 - The Civil Rights Act is passed. It outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Learn More
1966 - The wheat crop is larger than any ever harvested in the region.
1968 - There is so much wheat being produced that there aren't enough people to harvest it.
1968 - Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis. Learn More
Hard Work Recognized
1970 - On December 20, Dr. Borlaug is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Borlaug said,
"The first essential component of social justice is adequate food for all mankind. Food is the moral right of all who are born into this world. Yet today fifty percent of the world's population goes hungry." Read the speech
"In a sense, when Borlaug received the Peace Prize on December 10, 1970, his life had come full circle. Here he was, the son of immigrants who had left Norway due to extreme food shortages, now, back in their country of origin to receive one of the world’s highest honors for his role in increasing the world’s food supply." (from a Biography by Ambassador Kenneth Quinn)
1977 - Dr. Borlaug received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Additional Resources
The Nobel Prize has been awarded to many influential people since the first awards were handed out in 1901. Established by Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist and the holder of several hundred patents, these awards recognize outstanding people in the fields of science, medicine, literature and the pursuit of peace. Norm is the only person from the field of agriculture to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Who was Alfred Nobel and why did he establish the Nobel Prize? Learn More
The Green Revolution in India and Pakistan was somewhat different from the way it was in Mexico. It became a story of not just one crop, but rather two; what was the second? Learn More
