86 years ago today
Richard and Maurice McDonald Open Their First Restaurant
On May 15, 1940, brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald opened their first restaurant in San Bernardino, California, initially a drive-in barbecue stand. In 1948 they would revolutionize it into a streamlined "Speedee Service System" burger assembly line. When Ray Kroc licensed the concept in 1954 and bought the brothers out entirely, the McDonald's Corporation exploded into the world's largest restaurant chain — with over 40,000 locations in more than 100 countries today. The McDonald's model fundamentally reshaped the global food industry, labor practices, supply chains, and consumer culture. Arguably no restaurant opening in history has had greater consequences for how humanity eats.
This day, across time
- 1252EventPope Innocent IV Authorizes Torture in the Inquisition
- 1536EventAnne Boleyn Put on Trial for Treason
- 1618EventKepler Confirms His Third Law of Planetary Motion
- 1856BornL. Frank Baum
- 1859BornPierre Curie
- 1886DiedEmily Dickinson
- 1891EventPope Leo XIII Issues Rerum Novarum
- 1905EventLas Vegas Founded
- 1911EventStandard Oil Ordered Broken Up by Supreme Court
- 1937BornMadeleine Albright
- 1940FeaturedRichard and Maurice McDonald Open Their First Restaurant
- 1948BornBrian Eno
- 1957EventBritain Tests Its First Hydrogen Bomb
- 1967DiedEdward Hopper
- 1969BornEmmitt Smith
- 1978DiedRobert Menzies
- 1987BornAndy Murray
- 1988EventSoviet Army Begins Withdrawing from Afghanistan
- 2003DiedJune Carter Cash
- 2008EventCalifornia Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage
Alive in 1940
OverlapSame years; not influence
John Lennonborn this year
Wangari Maathaiborn this year
Abraham Heschelturned 33 this year- Adolf Hitlerturned 51 this year
Albert Einsteinturned 61 this year
Carl Gustav Jungturned 65 this year
Deng Xiaopingturned 36 this year
Eleanor Rooseveltturned 56 this year
Elvis Presleyturned 5 this year
Emmanuel Levinasturned 34 this year
21 more figures were alive that year
On This Day in History
9 EventsPope Innocent IV Authorizes Torture in the Inquisition
The papal bull "Ad extirpanda" authorized the use of torture by Inquisition authorities to extract confessions from heretics — a turning point that formalized judicial torture within the medieval Church's legal machinery.
Anne Boleyn Put on Trial for Treason
Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII and mother of the future Queen Elizabeth I, was tried at the Tower of London on charges of adultery, incest, and treason. She was found guilty in a politically orchestrated proceeding and beheaded five days later.
Kepler Confirms His Third Law of Planetary Motion
Johannes Kepler confirmed his discovery of the third law of planetary motion — that the square of a planet's orbital period is proportional to the cube of its mean distance from the Sun — completing the framework that Newton would later explain through gravity.
Pope Leo XIII Issues Rerum Novarum
Pope Leo XIII issued the landmark encyclical "Rerum Novarum," defending workers' rights, opposing exploitation by employers, and also rejecting socialist class warfare — founding principles of Catholic Social Teaching that remain influential today.
Las Vegas Founded
The city of Las Vegas, Nevada was officially founded when 110 acres of land were auctioned off to settlers. The railroad town would transform into the world's gambling and entertainment capital over the following century.
Standard Oil Ordered Broken Up by Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled Standard Oil's monopoly unlawful under the Sherman Antitrust Act, ordering the company dissolved into 34 separate entities. It was the most consequential antitrust ruling in American history.
Britain Tests Its First Hydrogen Bomb
Britain detonated its first hydrogen bomb over Malden Island in the Pacific Ocean during Operation Grapple, becoming the third country to possess thermonuclear weapons after the United States and the Soviet Union.
Soviet Army Begins Withdrawing from Afghanistan
Soviet troops began their withdrawal from Afghanistan after nearly a decade of devastating conflict, marking the beginning of the end for the Soviet intervention that cost over 15,000 Soviet lives and approximately one million Afghan lives.
California Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage
The California Supreme Court ruled same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry, making California the second U.S. state after Massachusetts to legalize same-sex marriage, though the ruling was later suspended by Proposition 8.
Born on This Day
Pierre Curie
French physicist and Nobel laureate
Pierre Curie was a pioneering physicist who, alongside his wife Marie Curie, discovered the elements polonium and radium and developed the science of radioactivity. Together they won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903. He died tragically in 1906 when struck by a horse-drawn cart in Paris.
Madeleine Albright
Czech-American diplomat, 64th U.S. Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright became the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State when she was appointed by President Clinton in 1997. Born in Czechoslovakia, she fled Nazi persecution as a child and later fled Communist rule, becoming one of America's most experienced foreign policy voices.
L. Frank Baum
American novelist
L. Frank Baum created the magical land of Oz with "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" in 1900, one of the most beloved children's books in American literature. The 1939 film adaptation became a cultural touchstone, but Baum himself wrote 14 Oz novels during his lifetime.
Brian Eno
English musician and record producer
Brian Eno helped invent ambient music as a genre and became one of the most influential record producers in history, shaping landmark albums for David Bowie ("Heroes," "Low") and U2 ("The Unforgettable Fire," "The Joshua Tree"). His synthesizer work and conceptual innovations have touched virtually every corner of popular music.
Andy Murray
Scottish tennis player
Andy Murray became the first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years when he claimed the title in 2013, then won it again in 2016. He also won the US Open in 2012 and two Olympic gold medals, becoming the first man to win back-to-back Olympic singles titles.
Emmitt Smith
American football player
Emmitt Smith is the NFL's all-time leading rusher, having gained over 18,355 yards rushing during his career with the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals. He won three Super Bowl rings and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
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Emily Dickinson
American poet
Emily Dickinson is now considered one of the most important poets in American literature, yet she published almost none of her nearly 1,800 poems during her lifetime. Her unconventional use of slant rhyme, dashes, and compressed metaphysical imagery was recognized only posthumously.
Edward Hopper
American realist painter
Edward Hopper was the master of American realist painting, capturing urban loneliness and the quiet drama of everyday American life in works like "Nighthawks," "Automat," and "Chop Suey." His influence on film noir, photography, and American visual culture has been immeasurable.
Robert Menzies
Australian politician, 12th Prime Minister
Robert Menzies was Australia's longest-serving Prime Minister, leading the country for 19 years across two separate periods (1939–41 and 1949–66). He founded the Liberal Party of Australia and shaped the nation's post-war prosperity and conservative political landscape.
June Carter Cash
American singer-songwriter and actress
June Carter Cash was a member of the legendary Carter Family and the creative and romantic partner of Johnny Cash. She co-wrote "Ring of Fire" with Merle Kilgore and received Grammy Awards for her recordings alongside Cash. She died just four months before Johnny Cash himself.
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