Samuel Moore "Sam" Walton (March 29, 1918 – April 5, 1992) was a
businessman and entrepreneur born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma best known
for founding the retailers Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. Walton’s career began
when he joined JP Penney as a management trainee in Des Moines, Iowa
three days after graduating from college in 1940. In 1945, after a stint in
the U.S. Army, Walton took over management of his first variety store. 

The first true Wal-Mart opened on July 2, 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas.