Stand up and take a bow, PA! How lucky are we to live in a place that birthed so many amazing things – from American itself and the Jeep to the banana split and American whiskey? Did you know that Pennsylvania is the birthplace of the Big Mac, too, perhaps the most well-known sandwich in the world? Yep, and here’s the backstory behind the birth of this popular fast food staple.

Just about anywhere you go in the world, you’re likely to see the Golden Arches on the horizon. The Big Mac, arguably McDonald's most popular offering, was born right here in Pennsylvania.
Flickr/JJBers
It all started in Uniontown, about an hour outside of Pittsburgh, when Jim Delligatti, a franchise owner, kept hearing complaints from customers about the blandness of a plain burger. It was 1967. They wanted more.
Flickr/Paul Sableman
Delligatti delivered. He created a special sauce that would top the brand new burger, which would later become the Big Mac, and pitched it to those in the corporate office.
Flickr/Via Tsuji
The response, unfortunately, was lukewarm for several years. As a result, Deligatti did what any entrepreneur would. He added the brand new sandwich to his restaurant’s menu.
Flickr/Willis Lam

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Pennsylvanians gobbled up the Big Mac – two burgers topped with special sauce, cheese, pickles, onions, and lettuce – and that finally caught the attention of the corporate location.
Flickr/rob_rob2001
The popularity of the Big Mac in the Uniontown restaurant lead to the addition of the sandwich to McDonalds' menus across the country.
Flickr/Like_The_Grand_Canyon
Today, the Big Mac is served in more than 100 countries with the United States alone selling an estimated 1.5-million every day.
Flickr/Bev Sykes
Delligatti’s contribution to the fast food industry is also honored at the Big Mac Museum, tucked in a McDonald’s in Irwin, PA. The museum features a history of the famous sandwich and its evolution over the years.
Trip Advisor/James A.
Delligatti spent his final years in Fox Chapel, just outside of Pittsburgh, where he died on November 28, 2016 at the age of 98.
Trip Advisor/sca90

Did you know that Pennsylvania is the birthplace of the Big Mac? Join the conversation in the comments! While we’re on the subject, did you know that Pennsylvania was the first to do these 10 things?

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