throwback photos of todays most successful companies

Throwback Photos of Today’s Most Successful Companies

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What do Google, Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Ford have in common? They’re several of the world’s biggest, most successful companies today. But they were by no means overnight successes; in fact, Microsoft, Google, and Apple all started in garages. 

Here’s a look at what some of today’s most successful companies looked like decades ago!

Dairy Queen, 1950s

Dairy Queen, 1950s
PhotoQuest/Archive Photos/Getty Images(https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/dairy-queen-franchise-owners-as-they-pose-flanked-by-giant-news-photo/2157155374?adppopup=true)

Dairy Queen franchise owners in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.

Walmart (Originally “Walton’s), 1968

Walmart (Originally "Walton's), 1968
(Image via Wikipedia)(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walmart#/media/File:Walton's_Five_and_Dime_store,_Bentonville,_Arkansas.jpg)

Ford, 1913

Ford, 1913
(Image via Wikipedia)(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Ford#/media/File:Ford_assembly_line_-_1913.jpg)

Highland Park, Michigan

McDonald’s, 1950s

McDonald's, 1950s
By Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress Catalog, Public Domain, via Wikimedia(https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52084457)

Chicago, Ilinois

Kroger, 1956

Kroger, 1956
Leila Grossman/Michael Ohs Archives/Getty Images(https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/view-of-kroger-grocery-store-parking-lot-circa-1956-in-news-photo/1301056486?adppopup=true)

Nashville, Tennessee

J.C. Penney (Originally “The Golden Rule Store”), 1902

J.C. Penney (Originally "The Golden Rule Store"), 1902
(Image via Wikipedia)(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._C._Penney#/media/File:Golden_Rule_store.png)

Kemmerer, Wyoming

Microsoft, 1980s

Microsoft, 1980s
Doug Wilson/Corbis Historical/Getty Images(https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/microsoft-co-founder-bill-gates-news-photo/627710450?adppopup=true)

Co-founder Bill Gates.

Nike, 1995

Nike, 1995
Mark Peterson/Corbis Historical/Getty Images(https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/nike-town-store-sells-nike-products-exclusively-news-photo/534936578)

Portland, Oregon

Disneyland, 1955

Disneyland, 1955
Loomis Dean/Contributor/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Google, 2004

Google, 2004
Kim Kulish/Corbis Historical/Getty Images(https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/larry-page-co-founder-and-president-products-and-sergey-news-photo/524309146?adppopup=true)

Co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin in Mountain View, California.

Starbucks, 1977

Starbucks, 1977
(Image via Wikipedia)(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starbucks#/media/File:Pike_Place_Market_-_Starbucks_circa_1977A.jpg)

Harley-Davidson, 1911

Harley-Davidson, 1911
(Image via Wikipedia)(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harley-Davidson#/media/File:Harley_Davidson_Motor_Company_The_Implement_Age_v16.jpg)

Springfield, Ohio

Taco Bell, 1973

Taco Bell, 1973
San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty Images(https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-front-of-the-taco-bell-in-san-anselmo-news-photo/1206189197?adppopup=true)

San Anselmo, California

Coca-Cola, 1941

Coca-Cola, 1941
(Image via Wikipedia)(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola#/media/File:Commercial._At_the_Coca_Cola_Plant_BAnQ_P48S1P06539.jpg)

Whole Foods, 1980

Whole Foods, 1980
(Image via Whole Foods Market)(https://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/image_galleries/early-years-expansion/)

Sears, 1970s

Sears, 1970s
Chicago History Museum/Archive Photos/Getty Images(https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/exterior-view-of-the-leiter-ii-building-located-at-403-news-photo/92420447?adppopup=true)

Chicago, Illinois

CVS, 1971

CVS, 1971
By Melville Shoe Corporation, Public Domain, via Wikimedia(https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=120053679)

Apple, 1984

Apple, 1984
Bettmann/Contributor/Bettmann/Getty Images

Carl’s Jr., 1960s

Carl's Jr., 1960s
Mike Kalasnik/Carls Jr North Bergen, NJ 4/CC BY-SA 2.0/Flickr(https://flic.kr/p/2incnsn)

Anaheim, California

Wendy’s, 1969

Wendy's, 1969
Joe Ross/The First Wendy's 7-5-2006 (3)/CC BY-SA 2.0/Flickr(https://flic.kr/p/66Nt9t)

Columbus, Ohio

Barbie, 1965

Barbie, 1965
By Nelson Tiffany, Los Angeles Times, via Wikimedia(https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=135111954)

Barbie’s first clothing designer, Charlotte Johnson, posing with Barbie.

Burger King, 1980

Burger King, 1980
Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix/Getty Images(https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/burger-king-coventry-street-london-11th-january-1980-news-photo/637653392?adppopup=true)

Coventry Street, London

Amazon, 2024

Amazon, 2024
By SounderBruce – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia(https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=150118405)

Amazon’s first headquarters in Bellevue, Washington,  during an open house in 2024.