It has been 75 years since McDonald’s first opened its doors to the public, and it has since become one of the most renowned and widely loved fast-food junctions across the world! Started by Dick and Mac McDonald in 1940, McDonald’s is the result of two brothers’ determination to make it out of the Great Depression – a venture, we daresay, that worked out pretty well for the rest of us.

But despite several of us loudly proclaiming our loyalty to McDonald’s, it is unlikely that most of us are familiar with these facts about McDonald’s – some of which will definitely stun you!

1 McDonald’s very first products were not hamburgers; they were hot dogs!

Think McDonald’s and you think their famous burgers. But here’s a little something for you: McDonald’s began as a hot-dog stand, with brothers Mac and Dick McDonald, who established it in an attempt to make a living in Depression-torn America in Arcadia, California, in 1937 – an idea that was inspired by a nearby hot dog stand and its apparent success. Three years down the line, in 1940, they shifted base to San Fernandino, naming their little hot dog stand “McDonald’s Barbeque”, which they temporarily shut down in 1948 with the aim of making things better and faster. They reopened with a simpler menu that included burgers, fries and milkshakes – something of a preview to McDonald’s as we know it today.(source)

2 A Bacon McDouble Cheeseburger contains lesser calories than a McDonald’s Southwest Salad.

But it’s a salad! And salads are a much healthier option than a cheeseburger, right? Not really. See, a McDonald’s Southwest Salad contains 480 calories; a Bacon McDouble Cheeseburger, on the other hand, contains 440 calories. The salad also has a higher fat percentage than the cheeseburger, with the former having 24g of fat, while the latter contains 22g. Still think the salad is a healthier choice?(source)

3 Every 14.5 hours, a new McDonald’s restaurant is opened.

4 Each day, more than 68 million people eat at McDonald’s; that is more than the aggregate population of the U.K.

Population of the U.K.: 63 million (approx.)
Number of people that eat at McDonald’s every day: 68 million.(source)

Puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?

5 Winners of the million-dollar prize in the McDonald’s monopoly game are paid $50,000 per year for 20 years.

The Monopoly game at McDonald’s is a famous affair. But ever wondered what would happen were you to actually win? McDonald’s does, actually, pay the winner: over a period of 20 years, with a payment of $50,000 each year. Healthy source of income! Or is it?(source)