In 1950, when poodles reigned supreme on wide skirts, and the innocence of a nation had not yet been tainted by cynicism, vitriol, and second-wave feminism, a businessman named Frank McNamara was finishing up a meal with a few clients at Major’s Cabin Grill in New York City. The check arrived, and McNamara discovered, to his horror, that he’d left his wallet in another suit. His wife paid the tab, and Frank stewed. Imagine, he said, if there were a multipurpose charge card that could be used to avoid such indelicacies. He chatted with the restaurant owner at the table, and a couple of months later, he paid for his meal at that same restaurant using a cardboard charge card and his signature. And just like that: consumer credit was born.