The American Express Company began life in 1850 as an express delivery business – and as an alternative to a slow, minimal-service U.S. Postal Service. It introduced the world’s first travelers cheques in 1891.
http://home3.americanexpress.com/corp/os/history.asp
[Stated “fact”: The original American Express card was purple.] Sort of. I’d call their original cardboard charge card – issued in 1958 – more of a manila file folder color… with a slight green tint maybe? And yes, the early American Express plastic cards were purple… http://home3.americanexpress.com/corp/os/history.asp
http://www.creditcollectibles.com/public/valuation.html
http://ihatedebt.com/ALookatDebt/HistoryofTheCreditCard.php
It appears the first charge card was issued by Western Union in 1914 to its preferred customers as a way to defer payments – at no interest. Wow, times have changed…
http://www.creditcardprocessingsite.com/main/charge_card_history.php
The first “revolving credit” card was issued by Bank of American in 1958 as a blue, white and gold BankAmericard. The card name was changed to “Visa” in 1976.
http://usa.visa.com/about_visa/about_visa_usa/history.html
OK, just to be fair here, the Diners Club charge card is often considered to be the world’s first true charge card in that it was the first card not limited to an individual bank’s customers that was capable of being used at various retail establishments.
http://www.dinersclubus.com/dce_content/aboutdinersclub/companyhistory
Montgomery Ward was the first mail-order business in the U.S. It was established in Chicago in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward. It closed its doors in 2000.
http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/timeline/mtgmryward.html
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created by a Montgomery Ward staff copywriter, Robert L. May, in 1939 as part of a Christmas sales promotion for the company.
http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/timeline/mtgmryward.html
In 1887, Richard Sears moved his watch company from Minneapolis to Chicago and hired a watchmaker, Alvah C. Roebuck. In 1893 the business was operating under the corporate name of Sears, Roebuck and Company.
http://www.searsarchives.com/history/history1887.htm
Radio station WLS in Chicago began broadcasting in 1924. The letters WLS (not the originally assigned official call letters) stood for “World’s Largest Store”. The station’s owner… Sears, Roebuck and Co.
http://www.searsarchives.com/history/questions/wls.htm
What well known credit card did Sears introduce in 1985? The Discover Card…
http://www.searsarchives.com/history/history1980s.htm
[Stated “fact”: The first Ford cars had Dodge engines.] Looks like it. It appears the Dodge Brothers Company initially manufactured most of the chassis, engine, transmission and axles for the new Ford Motor Company vehicles. And yes, by 1914, they had begun producing their own vehicle as the Dodge Brothers Motor Car Company.
http://www2.oakland.edu/oakland/ouportal/index.asp?item=3760&name=Dodge+Brothers+Motor+Cars&site=87
After the Dodge brothers died in 1920, their widows sold the company to an investment firm for $146 million. Walter Chrysler purchased the company in 1928.
http://www2.oakland.edu/oakland/ouportal/index.asp?item=3760&name=Dodge+Brothers+Motor+Cars&site=87
The first Fritos were made by Elmer Doolin in 1932 in his mother’s kitchen in San Antonio, Texas. He had purchased the recipe along with 19 retail accounts and the manufacturing equipment for $100. His company later merged with Herman Lay’s company to form the largest snack-selling company in the U.S. – Frito-Lay, Inc.
http://www.fritolay.com/fl/flstore/cgi-bin/comp_hist.htm?
Both Elmer Doolin and Herman Lay were originally in the ice cream business.
http://www.fritolay.com/fl/flstore/cgi-bin/comp_hist.htm?
Nestlé is the world’s largest food and beverage company.
http://www.nestle.com/All_About/Glance/Introduction/Glance+Introduction.htm
Nestlé began life in the 1860’s when Henry Nestlé, a pharmacist, developed a food for babies who were unable to breastfeed.
http://www.nestle.com/All_About/History/History+introduction.htm
[Stated “fact”: 40% of McDonald’s profits come from the sale of Happy Meals.] Well… according to an October 14, 2004 article in The Economist, “McDonald’s does not publicly break down sales and profits of its individual items.” So either someone has an inside connection at McDonald’s – or this fact is just the result of somebody’s overactive imagination. Ya suppose…?
http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3285898
J. G. Kirby’s “Pig Stand”, opened in Dallas, Texas in September of 1921, was likely the nation’s very first drive-in restaurant. The “carhops” – so named because they ran to the cars and jumped on the running board before the cars came to a stop – were young men dressed in white hats, white shirts and black bow ties (presumably along with the appropriate pants and shoes…).
http://crm.cr.nps.gov/archive/19-9/19-9-5.pdf
PEZ (think candy in really unique dispensers) got its name from the German word for peppermint – PfeffErminZ.
http://www.pez.com/USA/about-us/
[Stated “fact”: The only real person to be a PEZ head was Betsy Ross.] As of 2006, Daniel Boone is the one other “real person” to be so honored. See the full list of PEZ containers at the link below…
http://www.pez.com/USA/collecting/
Heinz first product in 1869 was horseradish – packaged in clear glass containers so consumers could see what they were buying. Henry John Heinz began his business in a two-story farmhouse outside of Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania.
http://www.heinz.com/History.aspx
The number “57” commonly associated with Heinz, did NOT come from the number of pickle varieties or products once produced by the company. It’s simply a combination of the numbers “5” and “7” that held a special significance for Henry John Heinz and his wife. He got the idea for the “57 Varieties” from an advertisement for “21 styles of shoes”.
http://www.heinz.com/Consumer_faq.aspx
The small green pickle that shows up on many of the Heinz brand products is yes, a nostalgic holdover from an original logo. To attract attention to the Heinz booth, H.J. Heinz gave away small plaster of paris pickle watch charms at the 1893 Chicago Exposition.
http://www.heinz.com/Consumer_faq.aspx
7-UP was originally named “Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda” by C.L. Grigg who developed its formula in 1929. Contrary to what you may have heard, C.L. Grigg never explained the origin of the soft drink’s name.
http://www.brandspeoplelove.com/csab/?TabId=148
The Michelin Man’s name is Bibendum. (You may call him Mr. Bib if you wish.) He was created by poster artist Marius Rossillon in 1898.
http://www.michelin.com/corporate/front/templates/affich.jsp?codeRubrique=99&lang=EN
The H. B. Reese Candy Company, founded in 1928 and makers of chocolate-covered peanut butter cups, always relied on another local company for its chocolate supply. Hint: they were located in Hershey, PA. Hershey Chocolate Corp. eventually purchased the H. B. Reese Candy Company in 1956.
http://www.hersheys.com/discover/history/company.asp
The earliest record of a vehicle shipment by Ford Motor Company was July 20, 1903 to a Detroit physician.
http://www.ford.com/en/heritage/history/default.htm
Taco Bell evolved from a hot dog stand “Bell’s Drive-In” started by Glen Bell in San Bernardino, CA after World War II. The first Taco Bell eventually opened in Downey, CA in 1962. Huh? Oh yeah, Glen Bell was also a part of Taco Tia and El Taco restaurants while on his way to helping us all “think outside the bun”.
In 1930, Harlan Sanders opened his first restaurant – “Sanders Court & Café” - in the front of a gas station in Corbin, Kentucky. Nine years later, after becoming an honorary Kentucky Colonel, he began using the pressure cooker to fry the chicken faster. His “Original Recipe” was created in 1940.
http://www.kfc.com/about/history.asp
The Smart & Final chain of grocery and restaurant supply stores in the western U.S. takes its name from owners J.S. Smart and H.D. Final – pioneers of the wholesale grocer “cash and carry” concept on the west coast. (And I thought it was just a creative name…)
http://www.smartandfinal.com/history.html
The world’s largest coffee and baked goods chain is Dunkin’ Donuts, serving more than 2.7 million customers a day. The first Dunkin’ Donuts shop was opened by Bill Rosenberg in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1950.
https://www.dunkindonuts.com/aboutus/company/
“The Jelly Belly Candy Company can produce 100,000 pounds of Jelly Belly beans a day – or about 347 beans a second.”
The well-known company name “Motorola” did NOT result from the company’s first product being a record player for cars – no matter what you might have heard. Their first product was a battery eliminator (it permitted operating battery powered radios with household electric current). The name Motorola was applied to their first commercial car RADIO – “motor” relating to “motion” and “ola” meaning “sound”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_audio
Naugahyde, plastic "leather" was created in Naugatuck, Connecticut. Save the Naugas! OK, nevermind… (By the way, “Naugahyde” is a brand name of imitation leather.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naugahyde
Be sure to check out the full Nauga history…
http://www.naugahyde.com/history.html
The “Google” name is based on the mathematical term “googol” which stands for a 1 followed by 100 zeros.
http://www.google.com/corporate/index.html
“McDonald’s” takes its name from the very first McDonald’s restaurant owned by Dick and Mac McDonald in San Bernardino, CA.
http://www.mcdonalds.com/corp/about/mcd_history_pg1.html
Before opening the first McDonald’s franchise in Des Plains, IL in 1955, Ray Kroc sold “Multimixers” – a five-spindled milk shake maker.
http://www.mcdonalds.com/corp/about/mcd_history_pg1.html
The first Ronald McDonald in 1963 was Willard Scott, well-known as the weatherman on NBC’s “Today” show.
http://www.mcdonalds.com/corp/about/mcd_history_pg1/mcd_history_pg2.html
The line at the drive thru waiting to be served at the first McDonald’s restaurant in Kuwait City in 1994 was seven miles long.
http://www.mcdonalds.com/corp/about/mcd_history_pg1/mcd_history_pg5.html
The largest fast-food operator in the world? McDonald’s? Nope – it’s YUM! Brands, Inc. whose holdings at over 34,000 locations include KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, A&W, and Long John Silvers. And yeah, to be fair here, McDonald’s revenues are more than double that of YUM! Brands.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/53/53993.html
QANTAS, the name of the Australian airline, is a (former) acronym, for Queensland And Northern Territories Aerial Services Limited. Dating from 1920, it is the world’s second oldest airline.
http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/company/index
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