When Richard and Maurice McDonald arrived in Southern California in the 1930's, they built scenery at a Hollywood studio, ran a cinema and, deciding to cash in on the new craze for Drive-in restaurants, opened a business in Pasadena that sold mostly hot dogs. Relocating to San Bernardino, the business was renamed the McDonald Brothers Burger Bar Drive-in and, crucially for its success, was located next to a high school. The brothers soon became rich. In 1948, they fired their skilled cooks, got rid of ordinary cutlery and whittled their menu down to a few items that could be held in your hand and eaten while driving a car. The kitchen became a factory assembly line, with unskilled, easy to replace workers performing the same tasks over and over again. The only meals they were required to make were hamburgers or cheeseburgers. Intended to increase sales, lower the prices and prepare food faster, the Speedee Service System brought the brothers to the attention of Ray Kroc, a milkshake mixer salesman who eventually bought the McDonalds out and helped turn their business into a global franchise whose logo became more widely recognized than the Christian cross. With 34,480 locations in 119 countries, McDonalds today is second only to Subway as the Worlds largest restaurant chain, even though its 2012 revenue ($27.56 billion) far exceeded that of any competitor. With such a recognizable brand, is there anything about McDonalds that we dont know? There is, and its stranger than youd think.