The McDonald's fast-food (see entry under 1920s—Food and Drink in volume 2) chain started small but has grown since its founding in 1948 into America's best-known pit stop for hamburgers (see entry under 1950s—Food and Drink in volume 3), French fries (see entry under 1950s—Food and Drink in volume 3), milkshakes, and a variety of other premade delicacies. In addition, aggressive global marketing has enabled McDonald's to become one of the most recognizable brand names in the world.

Brothers Dick (1909–1998) and Mac (c. 1902–1971) McDonald developed the idea for McDonald's with an eye on the growing popularity of the automobile after World War II (1939–45). The first McDonald's restaurants featured "carhops" who would serve customers food orders in their cars. In time, the brothers abandoned the carhop concept in favor of a standardized self-service system. In this way, customers could have speedier access to nine standard menu...