1954: Burger King
The flame-grill burger chain was founded in 1954 when fast food franchisees David Edgerton and James McLamore bought the struggling InstaBurger King restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida. Now a subsidiary of Canadian firm Restaurant Brands International, Burger King counts a total of 5,738 outlets in 100 countries worldwide.
© Courtesy Burger King
1955: McDonald's
Burger King's arch rival officially came into being on April 15, 1955. While the business actually began in 1940 when the first McDonald's restaurant opened in San Bernardino, California, the corporation dates its founding to the opening of the first franchised McDonald's outlet in 1955 by Ray Kroc, who went on to oversee the company's global expansion.
© Courtesy AHC
1956: Tefal
The French cookware and appliance company was founded in Sarcelles near Paris in 1956 by two engineers, Marc Grégoire and Louis Hartmann, who chose the name Tefal, an amalgamation of Teflon and aluminium. The company, which is known worldwide, pioneered nonstick cookware and brought the world the cordless iron.
© Courtesy Tefal via YouTube
1957: McCain Foods
The world's largest producer of frozen French fries, McCain is a household name in hundreds of countries around the world. The Canadian firm started life in 1957 in Florenceville, New Brunswick, when the McCain brothers – Harrison, Andrew, Robert and Wallace – began to freeze the potatoes produced by the family company.
© Courtesy McCain Foods
1958: Visa
Diner's Club may have created the world's first credit card, but Visa is the most popular credit card company these days, processing over 100 billion transactions a year. The planet's leading credit card was launched in September 1958 as the BankAmericard, and became known as Visa in 1976.
© Courtesy Visa advertising archive