Rand McNally

Rand McNally. It is an American company renowned as a preeminent publisher of maps, atlases, and globes, with a foundational role in shaping the nation's geographic literacy and travel culture. Founded in the mid-19th century, the firm evolved from a Chicago printing shop into a cartographic institution whose products became household names across North America. Its innovations in commercial mapmaking, particularly for the automobile age, cemented its status as an essential guide for generations of travelers, educators, and businesses.

History

The company originated in 1856 as a printing press partnership between William H. Rand and Andrew McNally in Chicago, initially producing tickets and timetables for the burgeoning railroad industry. Following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which destroyed its early offices, the firm rebuilt and expanded into publishing, producing its first railroad guide in 1872. A pivotal moment came in 1924 with the creation of the Auto Chum, a precursor to the modern road atlas, which capitalized on the rise of automobile travel and the new federal highway system. Throughout the 20th century, it became the official mapmaker for major events like the 1964 New York World's Fair and supplied charts for historic endeavors including the Apollo program moon missions. The late 20th and early 21st centuries saw the company navigate the digital transition, developing electronic navigation devices and online mapping services while continuing its print legacy.

Products and services

The company's most iconic product is its annually updated road atlas of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, a staple in American vehicles for decades. It has also produced a vast array of educational materials, including detailed wall maps, classroom globes, and social studies textbooks for institutions like the National Geographic Society. In the realm of commercial and professional cartography, it created specialized products such as the Commercial Atlas & Marketing Guide and truck driver-specific routing devices. The digital era brought offerings like the TripMaker road trip planning software, GPS navigation units, and the online platform Rand McNally Travel Store, which integrates trip planning with retail sales of its physical products.

Corporate affairs

Headquartered in Skokie, Illinois, the company has undergone several ownership changes and corporate restructurings since the McNally family's long stewardship ended. In the 1990s, it was owned by the media conglomerate Tribune Publishing, and later by a private equity group led by Leonard Green & Partners. A significant Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing occurred in 2016, leading to its acquisition by the telecommunications firm AT&T before being sold again to the private equity firm Platinum Equity. Its operations have included divisions focused on consumer travel, education publishing, and commercial transportation logistics, serving clients from AAA (American Automobile Association) to major fleet management companies.

Impact and legacy

The firm profoundly influenced American mobility and geographic understanding, standardizing the presentation of interstate highway networks and popularizing the cross-country road trip. Its atlases and maps are frequently cited in popular culture, from mentions in films like National Lampoon's Vacation to being used as props on television shows such as The Simpsons. In education, its classroom maps and globes have been foundational tools for teaching geography in schools across the United States for over a century. While facing intense competition from digital platforms like Google Maps and Apple Maps, the brand retains significant cultural cachet and is often synonymous with trustworthy, physical cartography for both everyday travelers and professional navigators.

See also

* Thomas Brothers Maps * National Geographic Maps * DeLorme * American Automobile Association * Cartography in the United States

Category:American companies established in 1856 Category:Map publishing companies of the United States Category:Companies based in the Chicago metropolitan area