Franklin wins major prize.

John Hope Franklin, 91, historian, author and emeritus professor of history at Duke University, has been awarded the third John W. Kluge Prize for lifetime achievement in the study of humanity.

He shares the prize with Yu Yingshih, 76, a pre-eminent historian of Chinese civilization. Endowed by Library of Congress benefactor John W. Kluge, the prize rewards lifetime achievement in the wide range of disciplines not covered by the Nobel prizes. Each awardee received half of the $1 million prize. Librarian of Congress James H. Billington said: "Dr. Franklin is the leading scholar in the establishment of African American history as a key area in the professional study of American history in the second half of the twentieth century.

"The transformation he has helped bring about in how we think about American history and society will stand as his lasting intellectual legacy."