Quirky Facts About New Zealand InfoGraphic:

New Zealand’s Coastline is 9th longest shore stretch in the world, and that accounts for everything that makes New Zealand even an interesting place to revisit the world of The Lord of The Rings. There are tons to see, and billions to know about the wonderful place, and what better way to start learning about New Zealand than reading this infographic? Get some learning going on, and ace those long trivia nights like a New Zealand resident by learning the facts, information and numbers encompassing the rich texture of the country’s nature.

The Fascinating History of McDonald’s:

McDonald’s has to be up there as one of the global powerhouses, with Google, Starbucks and of course arch rivals including Burger King and KFC. We all secretly love a nice McDonald’s every now and then, and it can’t be denied that even though it’s no good for us, it tastes so good. But where & when did it all start, and what happened for it to become this culinary juggernaut? That’s what we’re here to find out, looking decade by decade at the highs and lows of the golden arches.

Pre 1960

1937- Patrick McDonald opens “The Airdrome”, a food stand on route 66.

1940- “The Airdrome” is moved to San Bernardino, California by Brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald, opening McDonald’s Bar-B-Q restaurant with a 25 item barbeque menu.

1948- With almost all profits coming from burgers, the brothers closed for remodelling adding their “Speedee Service System”, a streamlined burger line. It re-opened selling 9 items with burgers at 15 cents. Speedee became the company symbol, a mini animated chef.

1952- The Golden Arches are created by architect Stanley Clark Meston. The brothers started franchising their chain with Neil Fox opening the first in Arizona. The third is the oldest McDonald’s still in operation.

1954- Milkshake-mixer salesman Ray Kroc asks the brothers to let him franchise McDonald’s restaurants outside California and Arizona. He tried to open one at the unopened Disneyland.

1955- Kroc founds “McDonald’s Systems, Inc.” as a legal structure for franchises.

1958- McDonald’s sells its 100 millionth hamburger.

1959- The first Hawaiian McDonald’s and the 100^th opens in Wisconsin. McDonald’s begin billboard advertising.

The 1960s

1961- The brothers sell Kroc the business rights for $2.7 million, funds borrowed from investors. Kroc uses a new slashed golden M logo for the company. Hamburger University opens in Illinois, in a McDonald’s restaurant.

1962- McDonald’s first national magazine ad appears in Life magazine. The first restaurant with seating opens in Colorado. The Golden Arches logo becomes McDonald’s logo.

1963- The one billionth hamburger is sold. The 500^th restaurant opens in Ohio. The filet-o-fish is introduced.

1965- Their 10^th anniversary is celebrated by offering public stock at $22.50 a share. Ronald McDonald appears in the first TV commercial on a flying hamburger on NBC/CBS stations.

1967- The first restaurant in a US territory opens in Puerto Rico and the first outside the US opens in British Columbia. The stand-alone restaurant common today is introduced.

1968- The Big Mac is added to the nationwide menu alongside The Hot Apple pie. The 1000^th McDonald’s restaurant opens in Illinois. McDonald’s air lifts hamburgers to homesick US athletes in France, starting their support of the Olympics.

The 1970s

1970- McDonald’s opens in Costa Rica, the 3rd country after the US and Canada.

1971- The first Asian McDonald’s opens in July in Japan. In August, the first European McDonald’s outlet opens in the Netherlands. The first McDonald’s in Germany opens being the first to sell alcohol. The first Australian McDonald’s opens.

1972- McDonald’s generates $1 billion in sales through 2200 restaurants.

1973- The first McDonald’s Playland opens in California. The Quarter Pounder is released.

1974- November 13 saw the first UK, and overall 3000^th restaurant opens in Woolwich, London.

1975- The first Drive-Thru is opened in Arizona to serve nearby Fort Huachuca’s soldiers who couldn’t wear army clothing outside their cars. The egg McMuffin is introduced.

1978- The 5000^th McDonald’s restaurant opens in Japan. The Hamburger University its 15,000^th graduate.

1979- The Happy Meal is introduced in the U.S with a circus wagon theme.

The 1980s

1980- The first ever poultry item, the McChicken sandwich, is introduced and fails. The 6000^th restaurant opens in Munich, Germany. The first restaurants open in Spain, Denmark and the Philippines.

1983- By the end of the year, McDonald’s is in 32 countries with 7778 restaurants. Chicken nuggets are introduced to all restaurants.

1984- Ray Kroc dies. McDonald’s were a main sponsor of the Summer Olympics, and U.S. branches lose money on the game; “When The US Wins, You Win” with many US medal winners after a Soviet boycott of the games.

1985- The original store re-opens as a museum.

1987- The first Scottish store opened, 13 years after its first UK appearance.

1988- The first Korean and Serbian restaurant is launched, Fortune Magazine named McDonald’s hamburgers as one of the 100 best products America make. The 10,000^th restaurant opens in Virginia.

The 1990s

1990- The first McDonald’s opens in Moscow and China, Moscow’s being the world’s largest and was opened by McDonald’s Canada “for political reasons”.

1991- McDonald’s opens its first restaurant in Portugal.

1992- The first McDonald’s opens in Africa and Poland. A new largest opens in Beijing with 700+ seats.

1993- The first Saudi Arabian restaurant opens and the first one at sea on the Silja Europa, sailing between Helsinki and Stockholm. McCafé is launched in Australia spreading to 13 countries by 2002, the first in the US opens in 2001 and by 2003 it was the largest coffee shop brand in Australia and New Zealand.

1995- For a more mature image, McDonald’s release the Arch Deluxe sandwich and a huge ad campaign “have you had your break today?” and, after the apartheid, the first South African McDonald’s opens.

1996- The First McDonald’s opens in Belarus, Peru and India, marking the 100^th country and beyond.

1997- The McFlurry is invented by a Canadian franchise.

1998- The first Pakistani restaurant opens and McDonald’s begins its 7-year partnership with Disney/Pixar.

1999- The First Georgian restaurant opens.

The 2000s

2000- The 1000^th British store is opened in the Millennium Dome.

2001- The FBI say Simon Worldwide, a company hired for Happy Meal and McDonald’s Monopoly promotion marketing services, stole $20+ million worth of winning parts.

2002- McDonald’s posts its first quarterly loss of $344m and responds with higher quality and variety of products and withdraws from 3 countries including Bolivia, whilst closing 175 failing restaurants. McHappy day, or World’s children day, is established for children everywhere, since its launch it has raised $170 million. The $1 menu is launched in the US.

2003- McDonald’s start the “I’m lovin’ it” campaign promoting a healthier and higher-quality image. They have a $126M loss for the fourth quarter and the ‘plan to win’ framework is launched as well as premium salads, the McGriddles and chicken selects.

2004- Following ‘Super-Size Me’, a movie documentary showing fast foods detrimental health effects, Supersize options are cut.

2005- McDonald’s trial call centres for drive-thru orders. The North Dakota center, takes orders from over a dozen stores in Oregon and Washington mainly driven by labour costs, the minimum wage in North Dakota was 40% lower than Oregon or Washington. In this year Singapore start a McDelivery service 24/7 with customers ordering over the phone.

2006- Nutritional information is displayed on all packaging with the new menu focusing on chicken, salads, and “fresh foods”. McDonald’s and Disney’s deal ends and the DreamWorks Animation partnership begins.

2008- McDonald’s start using new packaging and a new menu with realistic photos of plated food and glassed drinks. It goes nationwide in 2009 and worldwide in 2010.

2009- The 20th Century Fox partnership begins.

The 2010s

2010- Subway steals the title of largest single-brand chain and largest global restaurant operator.

2011- A deal is made with the Marine Stewardship Council to certify the fish used for the Filet-O-Fish sold in Europe. McDonald’s now operate in 119 countries.

2012- Drive-thru menus begin displaying items’ calories.

2013- The first Vietnamese restaurant is awarded to the son-in-law of the prime minister. Sydney, Australia trials home delivery with online ordering via Menulog.

2015- US roll-out all-day breakfasts and the whole world look in awe. The first McDonald’s Next store, an updated store with a more gourmet bespoke menu, opened in Hong Kong.

2016- McDonald’s report 10 years’ growth with figures from their first-quarter. They work on the “Follow Our Foodsteps” campaign, a virtual reality story showing each step of production from farm to table.

So there we have it, from the humble begins of a typical American barbeque shack to a global superpower covering over 100 countries with a university, a sports team and a global charity. You have to admire the sheer determination of Kroc, he definitely saw the potential and he took it as far as he could and after his death the wheels carried on turning. McDonald’s stay such a big company by constantly adapting, getting with the times offering online ordering systems, a better menu and changing according to demand, whilst also stepping on the little guy and contributing to the world obesity problem but that’s for another day. Whatever the condition of their food, the brand is still growing, opening in new countries and spreading like a plague and there really is no sign of stopping.

Influence Quotes:

"We firmly believe that how people live, how they think, and how they act and react to life's situations can be positively influenced." 

"We firmly believe that how people live, how they think, and how they act and react to life's situations can be positively influenced." 

". . . research shows that parents are the number one influence on our children's financial behavior."

"Although parents can't ultimately determine the outcome of their children, they do have a tremendous influence on them."

"Building confidence starts with your mind, as it has an influence over our actions."

"Influence and persuasion are two of the most powerful traits that can help you achieve your desired level of success."

"By bettering ourselves we can influence the rest of the world to follow. Be the stillness in the storm and soon others will gather to seek solace in your presence."

"You cannot be an effective leader, who influences people and creates transformational change, when you can only connect with half of a person."

"The future influences the present just as much as the past."

You don't have to be a "person of influence" to be influential. In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they've taught me.

Quotes of the day!!

"Success takes time, persistence, determination, and most importantly, believing in yourself! No doubting what you can achieve."

"A confident person is someone who does not indulge in self-doubt. He or she is well aware of his or her capabilities and moves forward confidently."

"A person of doubt sees the dark of the world where everything appears to be doom but those of faith see only the brightest of the day where the future is looked upon as a new beginning." 

"Confidence allows you to press forward, aware of and in spite of your doubts."

"Even when we doubt, God believes in us and never gives up on us."

"If you are someone who is in constant doubt and your life thus far has been a constant string of disappointments, it's time you stop fixating on doubt and spend your valuable time on building a list of things that make you feel confident and assertive."

"There are a number of people who share the spirit of Santa Claus throughout the year and if you doubt this just make a visit to any number of community organizations and take count of the number of people volunteering their time and energy."

"A friend encourages us when we doubt ourselves. They can sometimes see what we cannot. When we are faced with challenges or issues in our life we can always talk with them; we don't have the fear of being criticized or judged by them."

"Always keeping in mind that you become what you think about, be very careful about any thoughts you harbor that involve doubt." 

No More Self Doubt:

You may have heard from some so-called friends that what you have been striving for is not within your reach. Have you ever heard words like these or maybe they have come to you from supervisors through their annual review of your work performance. The question is, do you believe them and alter your dreams or goals? 

Don't Listen

Throughout the centuries, so-called significant or important people have told people of various walks of life, that they have no chance to succeed. In a lot of cases, many people cower from these kind of comments and start to believe that they cannot succeed, or that they do not have the intelligence or where with all to accomplish a goal or a dream. They doubt themselves. 

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

If you choose to believe these types of comments, you are engaging in what is often called a self-fulfilling prophecy, or, in other words, you start to believe what others say about you. If you do adopt as real or true what others have said about you, this means you have given control of your life, your destiny, to the opinions, thoughts and failings of others. 

Inspirational Quotes:

"Our work aims to serve others, and contributes to increasing the health, wealth, comfort and insight of other beings in an honest and supportive way." Michael Hetherington

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Winston Churchill 

"There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread." Mother Teresa

"But make no mistake, what I've described here is what makes great salespeople great. The best ones honestly care about the people they're selling to, they thrive on meeting new people and hearing new stories, and they're certain they're giving as much as they're getting in return." Joe Procopio

"Wise are those who learn that the bottom line doesn't always have to be their top priority." 

William Arthur Ward 

Facts on the Sinking of the Titanic:

The Titanic is one of the most famous ships in existence. It was built by The White Star Line (owned by American, J. P. Morgan) at the Harland and Wollf Shipyard. It had two sister ships, the Olympic and the Britannic.

The opulent ship set sail from Southampton on April 10th 1912. When it set sail, the pull of the ship was so fierce that it damaged a nearby boat.

Measuring 882 ft 6 inches, with a width of 92 ft 6 inches, Titanic cost over $7.5 million to build.

To travel first class, the ticket would cost $4700.

Traveling at 22.5 knots, the ship was only 0.5 knots away from reaching its maximum speed. It is therefore thought that the ship was traveling too fast for the conditions in which it met its fate.

Four days into the voyage (April 14th), clouds darkened the sky and the Titanic met its end. During the night, a total of six iceberg warnings were ignored. While traveling at a high-speed, the ship turned to avoid an oncoming iceberg. Scientists have concluded that if the ship had turned much later on, the damage would have been less significant.

At 11.40 p.m. the ship collided with a small iceberg, 400 miles off Newfoundland, Canada. The iceberg created a gash that was between 220 and 245 feet long.

Through the gash, five watertight compartments were flooded. It is believed that if only four compartments were damaged the ship could have stayed afloat.

When the distress signal was sent out, the closest ship was The Carpathian. However, it was over 58 miles and 4 hours away.

The Titanic had a total of 1178 lifeboat seats available. Many lifeboats however left the ship only half full. Among those were women and children, which Captain Edward J. Smith ordered board first. Daniel Buckley disguised himself as a woman to save himself and get aboard the lifeboat. He succeeded.

It took just three hours for the ocean liner to sink.

1503 people died that night. Among the death toll, were passengers and crew, including the band which played until minutes before it fully submerged.

Charles Joughan was the only man to survive in the freezing Atlantic water.

There were 705 survivors of the disaster. Millvina Dean, who was nine weeks old when she was aboard one of the lifeboats, was the oldest survivor, until she died in 2009.

The Titanic lies at the bottom of the sea – that’s 12,600 feet. It was rediscovered in 1985 by Dr. Robert Ballard, an oceanographer. The ship had fallen apart, scattering its remains across the sea bed. The bow and stern were found at least 2000 ft apart.

The Titanic will never be brought to the surface. It remains a memorial site for those passengers and crew who lost their lives that fateful night.

A century later, many are still remembering the great tragedy. At 11.40 p.m. on April 14th 2012, under the light of the moon and candlelight, wreaths were dropped over the wreckage of the ship to honour the dead.

The Titanic has also been immortalised through pop culture, including recent television adaptations, and notably the feature-length film, Titanic, which was released in 1997. Directed by James Cameron, it starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. To commemorate the centenary of the ship’s tragedy, the film was re-released in 3D in cinemas during the Easter Weekend of 2012.

‘My Heart Will We Go On‘, the theme song of the film, is one of the biggest selling singles of all time, and features as the first dance at many weddings.