Harland Sanders worked as a railroad fireman, sold insurance and ran a service station in Corbin, Kentucky, where he started serving fried chicken to travelers in the 1930s. When a new highway bypassed his restaurant in the 1950s, his business dried up.
Instead of retiring, he hit the road with his secret recipe. In 1952, at 62, he signed his first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise. He sold the company in 1964 for $2 million, and his face is still on the bucket today.
