History Unplugged Podcast

Scott Rank

If It Weren't For Two Iowans, Billions Would Have Died of Starvation or Been Left in a Technological Dark Age

June 28, 2018 ● 60 min

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Norman Borlaug and Robert Noyce aren't household names. But these two Iowans influenced the 20th century more than anyone else on Planet Earth. Borlaug created drought and disease-resistant varieties of wheat that thrived in poor soils throughout the planet. Because of him, billions in the developing world avoided starvation (they probably only missed it by about a decade). Noyce invented the integrated circuit and founded Intel. He is the father of Silicon Valley, the digital revolution, and the Internet economy that connects the world.

Both men owe their success to their farm roots in Iowa.

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