The Big Mac was the McDonald's menu item whose name was used in its 1968 national launch.
The sandwich was created by Jim Delligatti, a McDonald's franchisee who operated restaurants in the Pittsburgh area. It used two beef patties, a middle slice of bun, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and special sauce. McDonald's introduced it nationally in 1968 after regional testing.
The name became a major part of McDonald's branding because it was short, distinctive, and easy to remember. The sandwich's three-part bun and signature sauce also gave the company a product with a recognizable visual and verbal identity.
The Big Mac did not originate as a nationwide menu item on its first day. Its development began in a franchisee's local market, and the national rollout came later. That local-to-national path is a recurring feature of McDonald's menu history.