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

Because milk is about 87% water, Borden figured out that boiling off the water from milk in airtight vacuum pans would produce a concentrated product that would not spoil. He had spent years of experimentation, which left him penniless and in debt.

But as philosophers and writer Ralph Waldo Emerson observed: "Work and acquire, and thou hast chained the wheel of Chance."

Through luck, Borden met New York investor Jeremiah Milbank on a train ride. Borden convinced Milbank for the financial backing and in 1857, Borden founded the New York Condensed Milk Company.

Evaporation was of great value for the army during the Civil War. The U.S. government ordered over 500 pounds for the soldiers. Borden, with ability, breaks, and courage, was able to launch factories in Connecticut, New York, and Illinois.

Today's Borden Corporation had annual revenues in 1998 of about $706 million and includes such popular products as Creamette, Krazy Glue, Classico sauces, Wyler's bouillon and soup mixes, and Elmer's Glue.

"Chance," said writer James H. Austin, "favors those in motion."

Keep at it, success may be right around the corner.