Borden, Gail

Gail Borden Jr. (1801–1874), the inventor of condensed milk, was born in Norwich, New York. During his early career he worked at a number of different jobs—teacher, land surveyor, real estate salesman, and editor. In 1848, Borden invented a “meat biscuit,” a mixture of dehydrated meat and flour, that he alleged would keep indefinitely without spoiling; he hoped to sell the product for use on long expeditions and sea voyages. At the time, the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in London was the foremost venue for introducing new inventions, and Borden displayed his meat biscuits there in 1851. Despite financing considerable promotional efforts, Borden found few takers and lost his investment.