International Business Machines Corp. (IBM), Seagate Technology PLC (STX), Western Digital Corp. (WDC): The Birth of Big Data

Page 2 of 2

This quick and appetizing new venture became an immediate hit, and similar restaurants soon began to pop up across the country. Two decades later, the first McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) opened in California, but it was not until 1955 that the fast-food kingpin began to take off, several years after its founders had restructured the company to resemble White Castle. Today, McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) is the world’s largest fast-food company, but it’s only one part of an enormous industry that now boasts more than 50,000 restaurants in the United States (some estimates go as high as 200,000 restaurants) and more than 500,000 restaurants in total around the world.

The article The Birth of Big Data originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Alex Planes.

Fool contributor Alex Planes owns shares of Seagate Technology. Add him on Google+ or follow him on Twitter @TMFBiggles for more insight into markets, history, and technology.The Motley Fool recommends McDonald’s. The Motley Fool owns shares of International Business Machines, McDonald’s, and Western Digital. 

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Page 2 of 2