MCDONALD'S CELEBRATES 45TH ANNIVERSARY

MCDONALD'S CELEBRATES 45TH ANNIVERSARY

OAKBROOK, Ill. (Wireless Flash) -- Ronald McDonald will be smiling extra wide this Saturday (Apr. 15): it's McDonald's 45th anniversary. On April 15th, 1955, Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald's hamburger stand in Des Plaines, Illinois. Since then, McDonald's has opened more than 25,000 restaurants worldwide, including a "ski-thru" McDonald's in Sweden and the first- ever fast food joint in the North Pole. The largest McDonald's in the world isn't in America -- it's in China. The 28,000-square-foot restaurant in Beijing employs 1000 workers and can seat 700.