It’s fun to look for the serendipitous moments in life. Optimists would agree, with their glass half-full, always looking on the sunny side. There’s something reassuring about the idea that good things can happen by accident. In fact, some of most successful and important discoveries and innovations in the past century or so would be deemed unintended but fortunate.

Take Spencer Silver, a 3M scientist, working toward developing stronger, tougher adhesives in his laboratory. Instead, he discovered something that seemed like a failure: tiny microspheres that stuck lightly and peeled away easily. Interesting? Yes, but what can it be used for?

The idea sat quietly until a fellow 3M scientist, Art Fry, grew frustrated during Wednesday night church choir practice. Fry used slips of paper to mark songs in his hymnal, but by Sunday they often fell out. What he needed was a bookmark that stayed put without damaging the page. 

Fry connected his problem with Silver’s “failed” adhesive. Together they created something more than a bookmark. In Fry’s own words, “It’s a whole new way to communicate.” 

Post-it^® Notes were born. 

We have happy accidents like these to thank for life-saving penicillin, the convenience of the microwave oven and even refreshing popsicles.

Decision by decision

While these origin stories are remarkable, most success stories are built deliberately — Angus included. 

Great cattle aren’t born by chance. They are shaped. Decision by decision. Generation by generation.

The Angus breed is proof that craftsmanship takes vision, intention, and a whole lot of grit and hard work. From George Grant bringing the first Angus bulls to America to today’s independent Angus breeders refining genetics across the country to meet the demand of high-quality beef demanded by consumers, progress has never been accidental. 

The May Angus Journal, “Crafted by Cattlemen,” is a recognition of the hands, minds and values behind the breed, and the partners who represent the Angus brand from pasture to plate.

In a world quick to credit luck, the Angus story reminds us the best results come from those who choose to shape the future, one decision at a time.