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Milton grew up in poverty after his father suffered a series of business failures. He never made it past the 4^th grade. When he was nineteen his mother and his aunt helped him launch a candy company, but he went bankrupt a few years later. His family wrote him off as an irresponsible failure, but he kept making candy. Selling caramels from a cart, Milton began to make progress. Eventually he was able to sell his caramel business and pursue his dream of making chocolate. Milton Hershey built more than a chocolate company; he built a whole town. He built homes and a community for his employees. He built a school for orphans, a hospital, a hotel and a sports arena. Much of his income went to charitable causes. One of his pet projects was a melt-proof chocolate bar that soldiers could carry into war. These high-energy, portable bars have been part of US soldiers’ rations since 1937.