The year was 1940, and brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald were about to change the restaurant industry forever. Known as Dick and Mac, the duo left behind unsuccessful careers in the movie business and headed west to California, where they opened a small restaurant that later evolved into the groundbreaking Speedee Service System.
Their idea originally started as a BBQ joint but evolved into something revolutionary.
On May 15, 1940, Dick and Mac opened an eatery in San Bernardino that offered a limited menu—hamburgers, french fries, and milkshakes, the staples that McDonald’s still relies on today. The craziest part, perhaps, is that a hamburger cost just 15 cents…