Born in Henryville, Indiana, on 9/9/1890, Harland David Sanders would go on to become one of America's most iconic entrepreneurs. It was Colonel Harland Sanders who dreamed up Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), long before it became a global sensation — back when he was simply preparing humble country meals at a roadside gas station in Corbin, Kentucky. Though the Colonel passed away in 1980, his unmistakable face continues to serve as the company's beloved symbol. But behind that Finger-licking Good Chicken lies a far richer story of ambition and entrepreneurial grit.
It was during the Great Depression that Colonel Harland Sanders, the man who would eventually found KFC, started serving up fried chicken at his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky. As his business grew, he was quick to recognize the enormous potential that lay in the concept of fast-food franchising.
Through relentless refinement of his secret and one-of-a-kind blend of 11 herbs and flavors, Sanders was ready to take things to the next level. In 1952, the very first Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet opened its doors near Salt Lake City, Utah. The novel chicken offering wasted no time in challenging the Hamburger's long-held reign over the fast-food landscape.
More than a decade after KFC's launch, the franchise had grown at such a breakneck pace that it became too much for Sanders to handle alone. He made the decision to sell the business to investors Jack Massey and John Brown. To this day, Colonel Sanders stands as a towering figure in US cultural history, with his portrait still featured across all KFC adverts.