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That’s a tough question to answer because in many ways it’s comparing apples to oranges.Like many people in their generation, my parents were very young when I was born. They married shortly after graduating high school. I was wanted, planned, and adored, but my mom turned 20 during her pregnancy and I was born the day after my dad turned 21. They did their absolute best, but their age alone made them ill-equipped to be parents. By the time I was 4, it was understood I would be an only child, and they were adamant that I would not be spoiled or privileged or sheltered by that status, for which I am grateful. Their marriage was rocky and by the time I was 10, they were divorced. In my teens a truly wonderful stepfather entered my life, so in a sense I had two fathers.By contrast, I didn’t marry until I was 30, and my marriage is stable and happy because I knew what I was looking for before I said I do. I adopted my children internationally when I was 35 and 37 and have had to deal with cultural issues, identity questions, and health problems that would have been beyond my parents’ scope of thinking. I have been incredibly fortunate to attain a high level of education, including a masters degree that studies child development at a scientific level.That makes for two massively different sets of parents. I think my parents managed to do a number of things right. I hope that I am thoughtful, kind, and decent, and I think someone has to help you develop those qualities. So the things that I consciously did differently I think of tweaks more than rejection.I eliminated corporal punishment in any form. That was extraordinarily common when I was growing up. My parents never went overboard and were just as likely to take something away. It was one tool in their aresenal, but it is the one tool that is NEVER necessary.I have been very intentional about church attendance. My parents gave me a solid faith, which I think is very helpful for children, but they did not practice the same faith and our attendance was sporadic. I wanted our children to have a village and a cross section of ages who were invested in watching them grow up and to whom they could turn for help. I had the benefit of growing up around a lot of family members, but my children have not, so a church family has been a blessing. Now that they are teenagers and have questions, I am willing to accept whatever faith decisions they make for themselves.I do not take appearance personally. For my parents, being able to afford nice clothes for me, making sure my hair was perfect, even ironing my dresses was part of how they told the outside world that they were doing well. A big part of it was caring for me, or course, but there was also a component of showing me off. I was proof of their worth, which is young people’s thinking. I always gave my children freedom to wear anything they wanted as long as it was appropriate for the weather. The first time my mother saw my daughter in orange plaid pants with a red and yellow striped shirt, a neon pink tutu and green glitter shoes, I thought she would die. When I grabbed my car keys and said, “Let’s go!” she almost did die! But I was much more interested in self-expression than in what anyone thought of me. I think it was pretty obvious a 4-yr-old chose the outfit. I have allowed them choice and self-expression whenever possible and kept my mouth shut if I hated it.I have really followed Maria Montessori’s ideas on education and child development. When I’m wondering why they’re doing something or trying to figure out the best way to handle a discipline problem, I consult Montessori first. I do that because she was both a physician and a scientist and her ideas make great sense to me. My children attended Montessori schools as long as they were available in our area, and my approach to any child is first and foremost as a Montessori educator. Montessori looks different than traditional education. Montessori children have a sort of confidence about them that you don’t see in traditionally educated children. My mother does not understand why traditional school is not “good enough.” It’s almost as if she thinks I’m upset that my education was traditional. But my parents wouldn’t have had any way of even hearing the word “Montessori.” In their world, you went to school. End of story. Had my father lived long enough, I think he would’ve loved what I’ve done educationally for my kids, but there’s a reason my parents didn’t stay married.Finally, I take much better care of myself. Both my parents were smokers. My mom quit almost 30 years ago but has still had cardiac and respiratory issues related to tobacco use. My dad smoked 3–5 packs a day til he died at age 59. It breaks my heart to know all he’s missed. The benefit of having very young parents is that I was 38 when he was 59, but if you remember, I had myself just become a mother for the second time. So I feel that perhaps I haven’t inherited the best genes and I did have children late and I have a responsibility to be here for them as long as possible. I see my doctor regularly. I keep a very close eye on my cardiac health, I exercise regularly, I eat well, I maintain a healthy weight, and I do not drink or smoke. I want to see my grandchildren grow up and delight in how my children make their own tweaks to child rearing.

Here are TOP 40 Fintech companies:TALAIndustry: Credit, Data, SoftwareLocation: Santa Monica, CaliforniaWhat it does: Tala provides credit access to people in underserved parts of the world like Kenya, the Philippines, Tanzania, and Mexico. Through its app, the company employs alternative data to underwrite potential users that have no traditional credit history.PITCHBOOKIndustry: Venture Capitalism, Investments, SoftwareLocation: Seattle, WashingtonWhat it does: PitchBook is a financial software and data company that provides information about public and private equity markets. The platform enables companies, investors, advisors, and professionals to capitalize on new business opportunities via due diligence research on private market intel, fundraising information, and source investments.AVANTIndustry: LendingLocation: Chicago, IllinoisWhat it does: Avant is a loan service for middle-income consumers that offers loans ranging from $2,000-$35,000. The service operates largely as a resource for customers to access funds for things like consolidating debt or paying unexpected bills. Avant requires only a simple application and approves loans in as little as one day.BRAINTREEIndustry: PaymentsLocation: Chicago, IllinoisWhat it does: Braintree, a division of PayPal, provides payment services to businesses of all sizes. Accepting payment types ranging from credit cards to Venmo, its products help companies that operate online and as marketplaces to bolster security, prevent fraud and safeguard user information.ONDECKIndustry: LendingLocation: New York, New YorkWhat it does: OnDeck provides loan services exclusively to small businesses. Clients can apply for term loans and credit lines online to receive funding fast, often within a day.FORWARD FINANCINGIndustry: FintechLocation: Boston, MassachusettsWhat it does: Forward Financing provides working capital to small businesses in the US, using its own proprietary technology to allow businesses access to financing as soon as the very same day. The company has provided over $500 million to over 10,000 growing businesses.ENFUSIONIndustry: SoftwareLocation: Chicago, IllinoisWhat it does: Enfusion's completely integrated investment management platform assists hedge funds, institutional asset managers and family offices with compliance, trading, risk management, operations, and even accounting. Its goal in giving clients a complete view of their businesses is to enhance operational efficiency.MORNINGSTARIndustry: Investment, ResearchLocation: Chicago, IllinoisWhat it does: Morningstar provides an array of products and services that connect everyday investors to professional-grade financial research and information so they can make better investment decisions.VERIFIIndustry: Software, PaymentsLocation: Los Angeles, CaliforniaWhat it does: Verifi offers payment protection solutions and risk management services for companies of all sizes across multiple industries. The company's platform lets cardholders, issuers, and merchants access real-time data that provides quicker resolutions. Verifi also helps companies fight and stop chargebacks, securely process payments, battle fraud and increase billings.CIRCLEIndustry: CryptocurrencyLocation: Boston, MassachusettsWhat it does: Circle is a crypto-financial company guided by the principle that money should be open and free, but secure. Its products — including a wide selection of coins that allow users to easily transfer money across countries and currencies — help customers invest in new currencies.OPTIVERIndustry: InvestmentLocation: ChicagoWhat it does: Headquartered in Amsterdam, but with a large presence in Chicago, Optiver, is a trading firm focused on “market-making”. Not only does the company facilitate the buying and selling of stocks, bonds, futures, options, etc., but it also builds markets and provides extra liquidity to exchanges all over the world.TRANSFERWISEIndustry: Currency Exchange, SoftwareLocations: New York and LondonWhat it does: TransferWise moves money through its platform to other users all over the world at mid-market rates and with no unnecessary fees. In addition to individual users, TransferWise can be used by companies to invoice vendors regardless of currency.SUPLARIIndustry: Financial Management, Software, Machine LearningLocation: SeattleWhat it does: Suplari uses machine learning to help users better manage their costs. Finance, procurement and operations departments can all use the company’s platform to analyze spending trends, hit savings goals and even find areas where the money is being inefficiently spent. Wayfair, Nordstrom and Spending Tree are just a few of the companies that use Suplari’s platform to analyze, predict and cut down on costs.OPPLOANSIndustry: Mortgage, LendingLocation: ChicagoWhat it does: Opploans makes it easy to apply for personal loans. The application process takes minutes and the lower interest rate loans are issued in a matter of days. Applicants can apply for loans to cover everything from home and car repairs to family bills, medical emergencies and major purchases.BILLTRUSTIndustry: PaymentsLocation: Lawrenceville, New JerseyWhat it does: Billtrust provides payment cycle management solutions to business services, manufacturing, transportation, distribution, and equipment companies. Billtrust aims to accelerate the invoice-to-cash process, automate cash flow, give a company’s customers more flexibility and enhance organizational and operational efficiency.GRAVITY PAYMENTSIndustry: PaymentsLocation: SeattleWhat it does: Gravity Payments is a payment processing platform for small businesses that features lower rates and flexible processing solutions. The company’s platform streamlines financial transaction processing for everything from credit cards to POS systems and even gift cards.VENMOIndustry: PaymentsLocation: New York, ChicagoWhat it does: Venmo makes it simple to exchange money between friends or even accept payments as a business. Going out to dinner with a friend and don’t want to split the bill with credit cards or cash? Maybe you want to pay your dog walker with something other than a check? Venmo’s app makes it easy to transfer money from your bank account into other users, so you can keep track of payments in real-time.COINBASEIndustry: Blockchain, BitcoinLocation: San Francisco, CaliforniaWhat it does: Coinbase is an online platform for buying, selling and managing digital currency that provides users with secure mobile access to their digital assets. Coinbase supports 32 countries and has exchanged more than $150 billion in various forms of digital currency, including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum and Litecoin.ACORNSIndustry: Savings, Investment, MobileLocation: Irvine, CaliforniaWhat it does: Acorns is a savings and investment mobile application. Linked to a user’s financial accounts, it invests change from purchases in a diversified portfolio. Other products and services include IRAs, debit accounts and informational content that enables users to invest automatically and learn as they go.CHIMEIndustry: BankingLocation: San Francisco, CaliforniaWhat it does: Chime is a pioneering mobile bank that offers no-fee and automatic savings accounts as well as early payday via direct deposit. With over one million opened accounts, Chime is reportedly one of the fastest-growing banks in the United States.ROBINHOODIndustry: StocksLocation: Menlo Park, CaliforniaWhat it does: Robinhood is an investment application that allows users to invest for free from a desktop or mobile device. Because there are no physical locations or individual account management services, Robinhood aims to make investing accessible to would-be traders who can’t quite swing the fees of a traditional brokerage house.ADDEPARIndustry: InvestmentsLocation: Mountain View, CaliforniaWhat it does: Addepar is a performance reporting platform used by individuals, private banks and wealth advisors. The platform consolidates and manages all information across the investment world, providing a broader view and allowing investors to make more informed decisions.AFFIRMIndustry: LendingLocation: San Francisco, CaliforniaWhat it does: Affirm is a lending platform that allows users to pay for online purchases in small installments. The company offers interest rates as low as zero percent and allows users to choose plans ranging from three to 36 months so they can pay overtime for trips, electronics, furniture and more.CARTAIndustry: Investments, SoftwareLocation: Palo Alto, CaliforniaWhat it does: Carta is a management platform for private and public companies as well as investment firms. Its products help businesses manage and track company and employee equity, manage portfolios and back-office processes and keep current with SEC and IRS regulations.GUARANTEED RATEIndustry: Mortgages, LendingLocation: Chicago, IllinoisWhat it does: Guaranteed Rate is a mortgage provider and lending service that offers digital solutions to home buyers and those looking to refinance existing mortgages. The company's digital home mortgage enables customers to receive loan approval as well as upload and sign required documents — all online.TRANSUNIONIndustry: CreditLocation: Chicago, IllinoisWhat it does: TransUnion began as a credit reporting agency and now offers multiple financial services and solutions for businesses, governments, and individuals. Using data collected from millions of consumers around the world, the company provides deep information that helps consumers, companies, and organizations make better financial decisions.COMMONBONDIndustry: LendingLocation: New York, New YorkWhat it does: CommonBond works with students throughout their loan journey, from the beginning of their college career to post-graduation refinancing. The company offers a variety of loans for undergraduate and graduate students as well as medical and dental students. CommonBond also partners with Pencils of Promise to cover educational costs for children in the developing world.CREDIT KARMAIndustry: Credit ReportingLocation: San Francisco, CaliforniaWhat it does: Credit Karma offers users open access to credit scores, monitoring and reports, all for free and as often as a user needs it. Using this data, the site recommends new credit opportunities, loans, auto insurance and can even help dispute credit report errors.FUNDRISEIndustry: Real EstateLocation: Washington, D.C.What it does: Fundraise is a platform helps expand stocks-and-bonds-based portfolios to include real estate investments. Although it features dozens of multi-million dollar real estate projects, starter portfolios require only a $500 initial investment.KABBAGEIndustry: LendingLocation: Atlanta, GeorgiaWhat it does: Kabbage provides financing options for small businesses online. Because access to capital is a major pain point to small businesses, Kabbage allows companies to grow by hiring more employees, increasing marketing or buying more inventory. The company offers lines of credit up to $250,000 and lets users apply anywhere through its mobile app.GREENSKYIndustry: LoansLocation: Atlanta, GeorgiaWhat it does: GreenSky is a consumer- and business-facing loan service. Besides providing home improvement loans to individuals, the company helps businesses in the healthcare, retail, and home improvement markets offer financing options to customers.LENDING CLUBIndustry: LendingLocation: San Francisco, CaliforniaWhat it does: Lending Club is a peer-to-peer and alternative investing service providing new options for those seeking capital and those looking to invest. Through an online marketplace, investors purchase notes or fractions of loans and borrowers receive funds for such things as debt consolidation and home renovations.NERDWALLETIndustry: Credit Cards, Mortgages, Insurance, LoansLocation: San Francisco, CaliforniaWhat it does: Nerdwallet provides a host of financial tools and services, including credit card and bank comparison, investing how-tos, loan information, and mortgage advice. The company's services help consumers navigate the congested and often confusing worlds of finance, investment, insurance, and banking.NETSPENDIndustry: Prepaid CardsLocation: Austin, TexasWhat it does: Netspend's products allow individuals and businesses to manage money through reloadable prepaid cards. The company's services are especially useful for those who lack traditional bank accounts or rely on alternative banking methods.PERSONAL CAPITALIndustry: SoftwareLocation: San Carlos, CaliforniaWhat it does: Personal Capital provides free personal finance tools to help users manage all of their accounts in one place. The platform’s dashboards display insights like net worth, portfolio balances, account transactions, investment returns and spending by account. The company also facilitates access to financial advisors.SOFIIndustry: Loans, Wealth ManagementLocation: San Francisco, CaliforniaWhat it does: SoFi provides refinancing, loan and wealth management services. In assessing a user's rates and determining the likelihood of loan repayment, the digital company's algorithm takes into account factors beyond income and credit history. Things like education, career, and estimated cash flow are also part of the mix. In addition, SoFi offers benefits for which most institutions charge extra or require large balances, including career services, unemployment protection, and financial advising.STRIPEIndustry: Payments, SoftwareLocation: San Francisco, CaliforniaWhat it does: Stripe's internet commerce platform provides tools for marketplaces, subscription services, e-commerce businesses, and crowdfunding platforms. Millions of online businesses — including Pinterest, Warby Parker, Kickstarter, Instacart and Squarespace — use the platform to manage payments and structure online billing processes.WEALTHFRONTIndustry: InvestmentsLocation: Palo Alto, CaliforniaWhat they do: Wealthfront is an automated investment solution designed for millennials. Whether users want to buy a home, take a year off to travel or plan for retirement, Wealthfront helps them plan for the future. The automated investment tool uses passive investing strategies to build a diversified portfolio and maximize returns.YAPSTONEIndustry: PaymentsLocation: Walnut Creek, CaliforniaWhat it does: Yapstone's comprehensive payments platform aims to simplify global transactions and payment integration for industry-specific businesses. It powers leading marketplaces and companies like HomeAway, Evolve Vacation Rental Network and RentPath.Dozens ( developed by Dashdevs )Industry: BankingLocation: London, EnglandWhat it does: Dozens offers a current account that helps to grow your money, encourage saving and eventually investing. It aims to offer a whole range of financial services, including:A current account. Dozens does not hold a full banking license yet, so it won’t be a full UK account, at least for now. But it has an account number and sort code.A card. The Dozens card is a Visa of a very bright yellow.An app. It looks bright and clean and has a personalized dashboard.Spending report features. It shows your spending according to the location (showing it on a map), category and size.Budgeting features. You can save automatically by setting your own personal rules (such as “save £2 every time this person tweets” or “every time it rains”) and Dozens encourages you with cash prizes.A savings product. Dozens calls them “Cash Savings” – basically, you’ll be able to set money aside regularly, according to a set of rules you decide. You won’t earn any interest on it, but you can transfer it back to your main account anytime.An investment bond product. The bonds are £100 each and earn a 5% annual interest rate, paid monthly (more on this below).An investment account. Dozens also allows you to invest your money if you want to.

With billions of people served, McDonald's has played a fascinating role shaping international culture since its first restaurant opened 75 years ago. Here, a compilation of surprising McDonald's trivia even its most loyal customers may not know.1. Seventy-five years ago, in 1940, brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald opened up the first McDonald’s restaurant—a BBQ joint—in San Bernardino, California (at left; it’s now a museum). Eight years later, they switched to burgers, shakes, potato chips, and pie. The McDonalds purchased several Multi-mixers for use in their establishment, and when Multi-mixer salesman Ray Kroc visited, he was impressed by their success and efficiency. Kroc purchased franchise rights from the brothers. In 1955, he opened his first franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois.2. McDonald’s first drive-thru opened in 1975 in Sierra Vista, Arizona. What inspired the then-revolutionary concept? The restaurant was located near a military base, and soldiers were not allowed to leave their cars while wearing fatigues.3. There are almost more than one-and-half times more McDonald’s locations than hospitals in the United States: 14,350 versus 10,660.4. All those dimes and pennies do add up: In 2013, Ronald McDonald House Charities—the nonprofit organization that is McDonald’s charity of choice—raised around $450 million. It used those funds to help nearly 9 million children and their families worldwide. Today, RMHC has nearly 300 local chapters in 58 countries and regions.5. McDonald’s invested in Chipotle in 1998, back when the fast-Mexican chain consisted of 16 restaurants. By 2006, McDonald’s owned 90 percent of Chipotle—which had grown to 500 locations—but it sold its stake in order to focus on McDonald’s.6. The average McDonald’s drive-thru transaction took roughly three minutes, or 189.49 seconds, according to one recent study; the fast-food leader was Wendy’s with a 133.63-second turnaround time.7. The Golden Arches are said to be the most recognized symbol in the world, even ahead of the cross.8. Founder Richard McDonald first sketched the Golden Arches as an architectural feature to attract customers in cars looking from the roadside, but it took five more years for the arches to be linked into an M (shown at right, at a present-day restaurant in Downey, California, the oldest one still in operation).9. At its Paris Champs-Elysees restaurant, McDonald’s typically yellow Golden Arches are neon white to blend in with the lighting of of that location.10. The McDonald’s in Sedona, Arizona, has the world’s only turquoise arches—the owners of that franchise were told that they needed to make the location more in keeping with the distinct desert environment. The blue was chosen to echo the sky, and the building is more orange and red to resemble the surrounding terrain.11. While many international McDonald’s look the same as their American counterparts, their menus contain unique items that reflect local tastes. Some examples: nurnburger, or three bratwursts on a bun (Germany); creamy stars, or deep-fried star-shaped pieces of cheese (Italy); McFalafel and McKebab (Israel); McSpaghetti, or pasta served with Chicken McNuggets on the side (Philippines); McRice burger, or a burger in which rice patties are used instead of a bun (Singapore); quiche de quejo, or cheese quiche (Brazil); red bean pie (Hong Kong); McAloo Tikki burger, or a spiced-potato burger (India).12. Samuel Jackson’s character came pretty close in Pulp Fiction: a Quarter Pounder in France is called a Royal Cheese, not a Royale with Cheese.13. Since 1996, skiers have been able to schuss into the world’s only ski-thru McDonald’s in the Lindvallen resort area in Sweden.14. Many people probably wish they could dine on McDonald’s on a flight instead of airline food; for now, they’ll have to settle for dining at a New Zealand McDonald’s, which includes an actual retired aircraft as part of the restaurant.15. Nations that have placed a ban on McDonald’s include Bermuda, Montenegro, Kazahstan, and Macedonia.16. In all the world, there is one floating McDonald’s. Known as the McBarge, it’s in Vancouver, Canada. It was built for and served food at the 1986 World’s Fair, but it is now abandoned. Perhaps it should open as a sail-thru?17. The Queen of England owns approximately $11 billion of real estate in the United Kingdom; among her holdings is a McDonald’s near Buckingham Palace. So far, she has yet to dine there—but she may be more of a drive-thru type.18. Golden wedding arches: McDonald’s in Hong Kong offers a variety of wedding packages. The deluxe package, which costs around $1,200, includes a two-hour rental of a decorated McDonald’s location, 50 invitations, McDonald’s gifts for 50 guests, a pair of McDonald’s balloon wedding rings, a bridal bouquet, apple pie display, and an emcee.19. In the U.K., McDonald’s has launched a program to recycle its employees’ uniforms. Some of the material will be re-spun into fiber to make new uniforms; the rest will be shredded and used to stuff mattresses.20. In another innovation, McDonald’s Hungary and the advertising agency DDB Budapest recently unveiled the BagTray: a paper bag that has a reinforced cardboard tray at its bottom. By ripping off a strip of the bag, you can detach a sturdy tray.21. McDonald’s best-selling menu item is … French fries!22. But it took nine years for fries to appear on the restaurant menu (they debuted in 1949); before that, only potato chips were available.23. You don’t need a passport to try exotic McDonald’s offerings. In some parts of the America, McDonald’s restaurants sell their own specialty items. In the summer, you can get a McLobster roll at restaurants in New England. But Hawaii takes the prize: Choices include Saimin, a Hawaiian noodle soup with fish cake, nori, char siu pork, and sliced scrambled eggs; a taro-root pie; and a breakfast platter with Spam or Portuguese sausage as the meat options.24. A McDonald’s franchise owner in Monfort Heights, Ohio noticed that residents in his highly Catholic town did not eat hamburgers or cheeseburgers during Lent so he created a meat-free alternative, the Filet-o-Fish (left), which swam onto menus in 1962. Today, 23 percent of all Filet-o-Fish sales are thought to occur during Lent.25. The fish in the filet was originally halibut; now it’s wild-caught Atlantic pollock.26. The chain’s worst selling item may have been the Hula burger. Invented by Ray Kroc as a meatless alternative for Catholics on Lent, it consisted of a grilled piece of pineapple with a slice of cheese in a bun. It lasted a brief while in 1962.27. McDonald’s McGriddle was invented by product developer Tom Ryan because he wanted a handheld breakfast item that was both sweet and savory. He is the Dr. Frankenstein of fast food. In an earlier job at Pizza Hut, he created stuffed-crust pizza and the Meat Lovers, Veggie Lovers, and Cheese Lovers pizzas. He is now the founder and chief concept officer at Smashburger.28. Franchisee Herb Peterson created the Egg McMuffin, which became available in 1971, by modeling it off his breakfast of choice, eggs benedict.29. Some discerning diners believe that the Coke served at McDonald’s tastes better than it does at other places. They may be onto something: Only at McDonald’s is the Coke syrup delivered in stainless steel tanks to preserve its freshness; elsewhere, it’s transported in plastic bags.30. At a grand total of 1,880 calories, the 40-piece Chicken McNuggets are the highest calorie item on the regular menu. That’s more calories than many adults should consume in a single day.31. The number of ingredients in Chicken McNuggets? 40, which is low compared to the ingredient list for the McRib, which has 70.32. The McRib, which debuted in the chain’s restaurants in 1981, was invented in part because chicken farmers couldn’t keep up with the demand for McNuggets.33. There are no ribs in McRib; it’s a patty made from pork shoulder meat.34. The McRib was removed from the McDonald’s menu in 1985 due to its lack of popularity. But thanks to a loyal cult following, it came back in 1989 and was offered until 2005 in the chain’s restaurants in much of the world. From 2006 on, it’s been available for a few months every year. However, all along it has been a menu staple in one country: Germany.35. According to Reddit users, you can get a Big Mac for half the price if you order a McDouble without mustard or ketchup and add shredded lettuce and special sauce. The only difference will be the lack of a third bun.36. Those in the know say that McDonald’s has a secret menu. The most popular items include the McLeprechaun shake (a chocolate shake mixed with their seasonal Shamrock Shake), the McKinley Mac (a Big Mac made with quarter-pounder patties), and the Land, Air, and Sea burger (a McChicken patty, beef patty and Filet-o-Fish patty combined).37. In an effort to provide a more customized experience, the “Create Your Taste” initiative allows diners to use tablet-like kiosks to pick different buns, cheeses, toppings, and sauces for their burger. It’s expected to roll out at 2,000 locations in the U.S. this year, or about one in seven McDonald’s in the U.S.38. Customer Moshe Tamssot posted a YouTube video that showed him creating the biggest burger possible with a “Create Your Taste.” Although he was limited to two quarter-pound beef patties, he was able to add 10 times all the other ingredients. His sandwich was topped by 10 slices of bacon, 30 slices of cheese, and 10 servings of guacamole, tomato, pickles, lettuce, mushrooms, jalapeno peppers, raw onions, and grilled onions (not to mention a variety of sauces). The sandwich weighed 3.8 pounds and cost $24.89. We believe he is still digesting it.39. In a one-off event in 2013, McDonald’s challenged celebrity chefs to deploy McDonald’s ingredients to create a “McGourmet” meal. Guests at the NYC dinner enjoyed kung pao chicken (made with Chicken McNuggets and sweet-and-sour sauce), a tortilla espanola (hash browns and eggs), slow-cooked beef with blueberry pomegranate sauce (the chain’s blueberry-pomegranate smoothie) and gnocchi (French fries!), and washed it all down with mojitos (mango pineapple smoothie).40. While there are disputes about who invented the Ronald McDonald character, Willard Scott—who later became famous for being The Today Show weatherman— was the first to portray him in TV ads.41. Scott was fired from being Ronald McDonald after he was deemed to be “too fat.”42. In Japan, the character is known as Donald McDonald, due to the lack of a clear “R” sound in Japanese.43. The original Ronald McDonald wore a yellow-and-red striped suit, which he often accessorized with wearing a tray bearing a hamburger, fries, and milkshake as a hat.44. Ronald’s newest wardrobe, which debuted last summer, consists of yellow cargo pants and a vest and a red-and-white striped rugby shirt; on special occasions, he tops it all with a red blazer emblazoned with golden arches on the front pocket. His new look was created by theatrical costume designer Ann Hould-Ward, who won a Tony for Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast.45. In 2005, a man from Manchester, New Hampshire, robbed a Wendy’s. His name? Ronald MacDonald.46. Shaneka Torres of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is currently serving a three-to-seven-year prison sentence after she was convicted of shooting a bullet in a McDonald’s drive-thru window after she failed to receive bacon on her burger. She has also been banned from the restaurant for life.47. In 2014, a McDonald’s customer sued the company for $1.5 million after claiming to suffer “undue mental anguish” after he received only one napkin with his order.48. After starring in a McDonald’s-bashing ad for Burger King, the then-4-year-old actress Sarah Michelle Gellar was named in a lawsuit by the fast food giant—and was banned from McDonald’s.49. While the best-known McDonald’s lawsuit in America is the one involving scalding coffee, the company is known in the U.K. for a different legal matter. In 1994, two members of the London Greenpeace group were sued by McDonald’s for distributing pamphlets that claimed the company was responsible for hunger in the Third World, deforestation, food poisoning, cruel treatment of animals, and paying low wages. The trial—dubbed the McLibel case—still stands as the longest in English history at 300 days, generating 20,000 pages of trial transcripts. The defendants were found guilty of making some libelous statements and ordered to pay a fine. But in 2005, they brought their case to the European Court, which declared that the case was in breach of the right to a fair trial and right to freedom of expression (mainly due to the unavailability of legal aid for the Greenpeace members).50. Children’s television producers Sid and Marty Kroftt sued McDonald’s in 1973, saying that McDonaldland ripped off the “concept and feel” of their TV show H.R. Pufnstuf. McDonald’s was ordered to pay the brothers one million dollars.51. In the Guinness Book of World Records, one record is unlikely to be beat anytime soon: “Most Big Macs Consumed.” When Don Gorske of Wisconsin set the record in 2008, he’d already consumed 22,477 sandwiches. But since he eats two a day, he’s had over 27,500 of them by now. He had his first at age 18 in 1972 (it cost 49 cents). He liked the sandwich so much that after eating it, he had eight more of them—for a one-day total of nine, a limit he has never exceeded. Both his weight and cholesterol are said to be normal.52. The world’s largest Big Mac can be found in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, at the Big Mac Museum (which bills itself “the most tasteful museum in the world”). While the mega-Mac is inedible—it’s a 14-foot-tall statue—hungry visitors can eat the real thing at the on-premises McDonald’s restaurant.53. Mike Fountaine holds the record for owning the most McDonald’s related memorabilia. His 75,000-item collection—which includes buttons, uniforms, cups, and Happy Meal boxes and toys—spills over nine rooms of his Pennsylvania home. In 1968, a then-15-year-old Fountaine began working at the Golden Arches and began his collection one year later. Today he owns two McDonald’s restaurants.54. The world’s largest McDonald’s PlayPlace is in the Universal Orlando Resort in Florida. It includes a 500 gallon aquarium, waterfall, and 100 arcade games.55. A limited edition—one out of 200 produced in the world—500 ml bottle of McDonald’s Big Mac Special Sauce sold in Australia on eBay this year for $20,600 in Australian dollars, or around $16,144 US. One hundred percent of the profits went to Ronald McDonald House Charities.56. But the ingredients in the special sauce are no longer secret. According to the company website, it contains soybean oil, pickle relish, distilled vinegar, water (main components); egg yolks, onion powder, mustard seed, salt, garlic powder, vegetable protein, caramel color, paprika and turmeric extracts (for flavor and color); high fructose corn syrup, sugar (for sweetness); sodium benzoate, calcium disodium EDTA (for preservation of color and taste); propylene glycol alginate, mustard bran, soy lecithin (for thickness and creaminess).57. In 2012, Rebekah Speight of Nebraska auctioned off a truly one-of-a-kind possession on eBay: a chicken McNugget that resembled George Washington. The winning bid was $8,100, which Speight planned to donate to her church’s youth camp. At the time of sale, the nugget was already three years old. In general, eBay bans the sale of expired food products, but the company made an exception.58. McDonald’s is the world’s largest distributor of toys. It gives away around 1.5 billion toys each year with Happy Meals.59. Jamaican runner Usain Bolt claims to have eaten around 1,000 chicken McNuggets during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where McDonald’s had an outpost in the Olympic Village. It was the lunch (or dinner) of champions: At those games, he won three gold medals and set three world records.60. One in eight U.S. workers has been employed by McDonald’s at some point in their careers.61. Famous former employees of McDonald’s include Rachel McAdams, Pink, Macy Gray, Jay Leno, Carl Lewis, Jeff Bezos, and Andie MacDowell.62. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “McJob” is “an unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects, especially one created by the expansion of the service sector.” McDonald’s threatened to sue to change the definition, but ultimately responded with a clever U.K. ad campaign that extolled the company’s employee benefits. It ended with the line: “Not bad for a McJob.”63. On a corporate level, McDonald’s has some pretty spectacular benefits. Employees get an extra week of paid time off in the years when they reach an anniversary ending with a “5” (5, 15, 25, etc.). They’re eligible for an eight-week paid sabbatical for every 10 years worked.64. In 1961, the company opened Hamburger University to train its executive employees; today, there are more than 2750,000 graduates. The original campus is in Oak Brook, Illinois, where McDonald’s is headquartered. Other campuses are in Tokyo, London, Sydney, Munich, Sao Paolo and Shanghai. All together around the world, Hamburger U. employs more than 60 full-time college professors.65. McDonald’s holds its own version of American Idol. Called the Voice of McDonald’s, the competition shines the spotlight on the vocal talent of its 1.8 million employees. In its most recent contest, 58,000 McWorkers from 63 countries entered. Lucy Ospitia of Bucaramanga, Colombia, won the $25,000 grand prize. Rocky Rosabal from the Philippines won second prize ($17,500); third prize ($12,500) went to Ashlae Nelms from Illinois.66. The Economist created the “Big Mac Index” in 1986 as a shorthand way to determine whether a country’s currency is inflated. The index uses the international prices of a Big Mac, a globally available food product, to illustrate the differences in monetary value between nations. It’s still referenced today. In January, the average price for a Big Mac was $4.79 in the America and $7.54 in Switzerland. (All prices are in U.S. dollars.) Russia and Ukraine were among the cheapest places at which to buy a Big Mac, $1.36 and $1.20, respectively.67. In the 2003 documentary Super Size Me, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock chronicled his 30-day, all-McDonald’s diet. At month’s end, Spurlock had gained 25 pounds, sent his cholesterol sky-rocketing, and caused serious harm to his liver. McDonald’s removed Super Size fries and drinks from its menu six weeks after the film’s release, although it said Super Size Me did not influence its decision.68. The “I’m Lovin’ It” McDonald’s jingle was written by Pharell and recorded by Justin Timberlake.69. Ottawa Senators goalie Andrew Hammond is nicknamed Hamburglar. How he earned it: A fan threw a burger on the ice at Hammond after a recent win (in 12 starts, he’d amassed an impressive 10-0-1 record); the goalie graciously accepted it but did not eat it because he said it was too cold. To ensure that he always has access to a hot burger, Hammond received—courtesy of McDonald’s in Canada—a special card that entitles him to a lifetime of free eats.70. Octogenarians Carl and Barbara Becker of Virginia were regulars at their local McDonald’s, where they liked stopping in for “scrunch”—a snack between lunch and supper. One day, an employee was sweeping up near them, and when asked if it bothered them, the couple answered that it did. A manager then told the Beckers that they’d exceeded their allowed 30 minutes in the restaurant and had to leave. The Beckers wrote a heartfelt letter to their local paper in which Carl explained how the incident had marred their McDonald’s ritual. For the pair, scrunch is “a sweet time of fellowship, which we enjoy, which helps sustain our marriage of 63 years,” wrote Carl. In response, McDonald’s corporate offices sent the couple coupons for two small coffees. The Beckers refused them but said they’d still patronize the chain—just not the Culpeper location.71. The Beckers were not left burger-less, however. Shawn Moss, who owns Shawn’s Smokehouse BBQ restaurant in Culpeper, was so moved when he heard about the couple’s experience that he offered them one free “scrunch” a week for the rest of their lives.72. In 2014, 18-year-old Stian Ytterdahl from Norway had a tattoo artist ink a McDonald’s receipt onto his arm after his friends dared him; a week later, he had the same receipt tattooed on his other arm. For the rest of his life, he’ll always know what he ate at 7:36 PM on March 24, 2014: a Coke, three cheeseburgers, a cheeseburger Happy Meal, a McFlurry NonStop with three extra toppings, and an extra Happy Meal toy.73. At the McDonald’s online shop, customers in the U.S., U.K., Europe, and Australia can purchase Big Mac-patterned pajamas, wallpaper, long underwear, rain boots, dog coat, and (human) bedding.74. Scientists studying McDonald’s patrons found that female diners ate less when they were eating in mixed-sex groups rather than in same-sex groups groups, while male diners ate more in mixed-sex groups than in mixed-sex pairs, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Health Psychology.75. While only McDonald’s is on Twitter (with more than 2.8 million followers), both McDonald’s and Ronald McDonald have Instagram accounts. McDonald’s boasts 565,000 followers to Ronald’s 10,900.