![McDonald's Reaches 400 Million Served in 1960.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/150410-mcdonalds-04.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
Correction appended, April 17, 2015
It was 60 years ago this week, on April 15, 1955, that Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald’s franchise, in Des Plaines, Ill. It wasn’t the first McDonald’s restaurant (two brothers actually named McDonald had started the California-based company) but it was the first step on the road to chain-restaurant domination.
As McDonald’s enters its seventh decade, here’s a look back at images and advertisements from its first few decades — including two, numbers one and three in the slideshow above, which have never before been published outside the company. The company has changed over the years, going international, transitioning from a hamburger joint to a company that sells bed linens, making news with labor issues and breakfast menus alike. But not everything has changed: look closely at the photos of the earliest locations and you’ll notice the telltale golden arches.
![Ray Kroc Opens his First McDonald's in Des Plaines, Illinois on April 15, 1955](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/150410-ray-kroc-opens-his-first-mcdonalds-in-des-plaines-illinois-on-april-15-1955.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
Correction: The original version of this article mistakenly identified the Des Plaines, Ill., McDonald’s as the company’s first franchise location. It was Ray Kroc’s first franchise location.
The 17 Most Influential Burgers of All Time
![](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/21-burger.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/ramen-burger.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Russia's President Medvedev and U.S. President Obama have burgers for lunch at Ray's Hell Burger restaurant in Arlington Russia's President Medvedev and U.S. President Obama have burgers for lunch at Ray's Hell Burger restaurant in Arlington](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/rays-hell-burger-obaba.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![BURGER KING WHOPPER BURGER KING WHOPPER](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/burger-king-whopper.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Heart Attack Grill owner Jon poses with a quadruple bypass cheese burger in Chandler, Arizona Heart Attack Grill owner Jon poses with a quadruple bypass cheese burger in Chandler, Arizona](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/quadruple-bipass-burger.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Developer Of First Cultivated Beef Burger Mark Post Developer Of First Cultivated Beef Burger Mark Post](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/lab-grown-burger.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/mcdonalds-burger.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![ASAP MONEY&GADGETS DRIVE IN The ordering lingo for this Atlanta staple, which debuted in 1928, is almost as delicious as the burger itself: you get it “all the way” in lieu of “with onions,” and “walk a steak” replaces “to-go.” These branding gimmicks were later replicated by burger chains like In-N-Out, whose secret menu (see: “animal style” and "protein style") has helped lure millions of customers.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/varsity-burger.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Shake Shack Comes to Russia Two Decades After McDonald's Debut Shake Shack Comes to Russia Two Decades After McDonald's Debut](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/shack-burger.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Designer Burger Demand in Los Angeles Grabs Hold in New York Designer Burger Demand in Los Angeles Grabs Hold in New York](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/umami-burger.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Image converted using ifftoany Image converted using ifftoany](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/garden-burger.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![In October, Chicago heavy-metal-themed bar Kuma's Corner launched one of the most outrageous burgers to date: the Ghost Burger—it's named after Swedish metal band Ghost B.C.—was topped with an unconsecrated Communion wafer. The dish sold well, but angered Catholics (and garnered national headlines), prompting the owners to donate $1,500 to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/ghost-burger.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Japan - Fast Food - Mos Food Services - Hamburger Chain Japan - Fast Food - Mos Food Services - Hamburger Chain](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/mos-burger.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Simpsons In October, Chicago heavy-metal-themed bar Kuma's Corner launched one of the most outrageous burgers to date: the Ghost Burger—it's named after Swedish metal band Ghost B.C.—was topped with an unconsecrated Communion wafer. The dish sold well, but angered Catholics (and garnered national headlines), prompting the owners to donate $1,500 to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/krusty-burger.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Minneapolis News - April 23, 1997 Although this twist on the cheeseburger—in which the cheese is melted inside the patty—was reportedly invented in the 1920s, when chefs were still experimenting with the burger, it gained national attention in 2008, thanks to a feud between two Minneapolis bars that both claim to have "invented" it. Since then, there have been numerous imitators, proving that a little innovation and a dash of hype is all it takes to reinvigorate enthusiasm for a classic. Correction: The original version of this story misstated the date of invention of the Jucy Lucy. It was put on the menu at Matt's in 1954.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/jucy-lucy-burger.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![In-N-Out Burger As The Company Is Valued At Near $2 Billion In-N-Out Burger As The Company Is Valued At Near $2 Billion](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/in-n-out-burger.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![White Castle Hamburgers White Castle Hamburgers](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/white-castle-burger.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![The First Indiana McDonald's Opens in Hammond in 1956.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/150410-mcdonalds-01.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Future McDonald's Chairman, Fred Turner, at the Grill in 1956.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/150410-mcdonalds-02.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![The Sixth Florida McDonald's Location Opens in St. Petersburg in 1958.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/150410-mcdonalds-03.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![McDonald's Reaches 400 Million Served in 1960.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/150410-mcdonalds-04.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![The First Ronald McDonald Played by Willard Scott in 1963.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/150410-mcdonalds-05.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![The Filet-O-Fish Sandwich is the First New Item Added to the McDonald's Menu in 1965.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/150410-mcdonalds-06.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![McDonald's Reaches Two Billion Served in 1966.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/150410-mcdonalds-07.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![The Big Mac Debuts on the McDonald's Menu in 1968 Created by Owner Operator Jim Delligatti of Pittsburgh.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/150410-mcdonalds-08.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![You Deserve a Break Today Advertising Debuts in 1971.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/150410-mcdonalds-09.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![McDonald's Reaches 11 Billion Served in 1972.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/150410-mcdonalds-10.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![212_13309_MCDmuseum050-v2A.TIF Ray Kroc's First McDonald's Restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois is restored to its original form and reopens on May 21, 1985 as the McDonald's #1 Restaurant Museum.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/150410-mcdonalds-11.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
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Write to Lily Rothman at lily.rothman@time.com