Fun Fact: The Brothers Who Founded McDonald’s Were From NH

I'm from New Hampshire, and lived there for most of my life. But for some reason, I never knew about this until recently. Richard and Maurice McDonald, the brothers who founded the first McDonald's restaurant, and fast food as we know it, were born and raised in Manchester, NH.

Their story is fascinating. According to an in-depth article form mashed.com, Richard and Maurice were born into a poor family in Manchester just after the turn of the century. After graduating High School, they dreamed of becoming successful entrepreneurs, but didn't see the opportunity to do so in the Granite State. So the brothers headed west.

Their first attempt at business didn't go so well. They bought a movie theater during the Great Depression, but just couldn't keep it afloat. Their next endeavor was the food business, and at first, that didn't go very well either. In fact, they came close to calling it quits with that too, until they tried a new approach - a simple menu, with items served to customers quickly.

The new business model caught on, and they soon expanded. In 1954, the brothers partnered with Ray Crok, who is often credited as the one who really took McDonald's to the next level. By 1961, Richard and Maurice signed over control of the business to Ray.

McDonald's went on to become the world's largest restaurant chain by revenue.

It's pretty amazing to think that it all started with the hard work and creativity of two brothers from New Hampshire!