RAYMOND ALBERT KROCRay Kroc was born in Oak Park Illinois on October 5 in the year 1902. At the age of four Ray's fate was read when his father took him to a phrenologist who predicted that era will have a career in the food industry. In 1917 Ray Kroc, only 15 years old at the time, lied about his age to join the Red Cross as an ambulance driver. While in the Red Cross he was in Company A, which was the same company as Walt Disney. However, it did not reach Europe because the war ended too soon. After the war he became a pianist. By 1922 he had also become a salesman for the Lily Tulip Cup Co. While a salesman he is quoted as saying, "The definition of salesmanship is the gentle art of letting people have your way." However, the beginning of her success came when she met Earl Prince. Earl Prince had invented a multi-mixer. Kroc thought the machine was good enough to sell and use elsewhere. So in the early 1950s he got permission to go around the country and sell the multi-mixer. While hustling around the country he came into contact with the super efficient hamburger joint McDonald's, founded by Dick and Mac McDonald, who were brothers. He saw this place and optimistically envisioned many others opening across the country. He convinced the brothers to let him be their first affiliate. They agreed so in 1954 Ray opened the first McDonald's franchise. A year later, Ray opened the second McDonald's franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois. Just four years after the second restaurant opened, the 100th McDonalds opened. In 1961 Ray Kroc purchased the rights to the McDonalds franchise for the paltry sum of $2.7 million. To pay this huge sum at the time he had to mortgage his house and take out numerous loans which would ultimately cost him 14 million to repay. After purchasing the rights to the name and company, he forced Dick and Mac to remove their name from their original restaurant. But he went even further when he opened a McDonald's restaurant a block down the street trying to put them out of business. In the same year the University of Hamburg was opened. There were many great things in 1963: the 500th restaurant opened and the billionth hamburger was sold..