McDonald's Turns 50!

Ray Kroc, a milkshake mixer salesman, had envisioned a restaurant chain where people can eat burgers with minimal amounts of beef served quickly by snarling cashiers earning minimum wage. That idea turned into McDonald's – the place where you can find happiness packaged with a toy and a small drink.

On April 15th, we collectively put our obesity worries aside and honored McDonald's for their 50th birthday. To celebrate the Golden Anniversary, McDonald's cheeseburgers are selling for 50 cents. Unfortunately it's only one per customer per visit so in reality you're only saving, like, 49 cents. Still, it's cheaper than drinking cooking oil straight from the bottle – the consumption of which has similar consequences.

While we're scarfing down our half-priced cheeseburgers today, it's hard not to notice how much has changed in the past 50 years. There was a time when a Big Mac was not on the menu and the Egg McMuffin didn't McFucking exist. McDonaldland characters also came and went. What ever became of the Fry Guys? Or Birdy? Or Ray Kroc (oh wait – he died in 1984). And I can't be the only one who misses Styrofoam containers? Ozone layer be damned – the little container built into the Chicken McNugget's package that held the dipping sauce was borderline genius.

While the future of McDonald's is not yet written – it's fairly safe to assume that their quest for global domination will not end until each and every square inch of Earth is covered in Special Sauce.

In the meantime, why not enjoy everyone's favorite, brain-melting, child-scaring, classic McDonald's commercial below?