On this day in 1856, inventor and publisher Gail Borden Jr. (1801–1874), Father of the Modern Dairy Industry, received a patent for his milk condensation process after years of trial and error.

Because milk is about 87% water, Borden realized that boiling off the water in vacuum pans could create a concentrated product that wouldn’t spoil. But innovation came at a cost—years of perseverance left him penniless and in debt.

Then luck stepped in. On a train, he met New York financier Jeremiah Milbank, who believed in Borden’s vision and offered financial backing. In 1857, Borden launched the New York Condensed Milk Company, and during the Civil War, the U.S. government ordered over 500 pounds of evaporated milk for Union troops.

Borden’s courage and resilience brought him factories in Connecticut, New York, and Illinois. His legacy lives on in every invention that feeds the world with hope.

As writer James H. Austin noted, “Chance favors those in motion.”