Ray Kroc was a fast food tycoon who is best known for his role in expanding the McDonald's franchise. He was born in 1902 and began his career as a milkshake mixer salesman. In 1954, he visited a McDonald's restaurant in California and was so impressed with the operation that he decided to become the exclusive distributor of their products. He eventually bought the company from the McDonald brothers and turned it into the global empire it is today.