Monday, July 2, 1962: Wal-Mart

Sam Walton opens his first Wal-Mart store in Rogers, Arkansas. Called "Wal-Mart Discount City," the store marks Walton's entry into a large-scale, high-volume retail business; he had previously operated several Ben Franklin five-and-dime stores.

* www.walmart50.com: @

* Entry from encyclopediaofarkansas.net: @

* Photo from opening day (from Rogers Historical Museum): @
* Wal-Mart entries from pleasantfamilyshopping.blogspot.com: @
* Timeline (from www.walmartstores.com): @

* A visual timeline of chain's growth (from projects.flowingdata.com): @

* "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?" (PBS, 2004): @

* "The Wal-Mart Effect" (book by Charles Fishman, 2006): @

---