2023 is a huge year for The Walt Disney Company as it’s the 100th anniversary of the company's founding, but this week marks a much smaller, though no less important anniversary for the company. This week is the 58th anniversary of the press conference that officially announced Walt Disney’s plans to build Disney World. If you’re wondering what the appropriate gift is for a 58th anniversary, it’s apparently financial disclosures.
60 years ago, Walt Disney began to survey swamp land in central Florida. Large swaths of it would then be purchased, all through various shell companies, as a way to prevent anybody from learning who was buying the land or why, to keep the price down. 58 years ago this month the Orlando Sentinel reported that it believed Walt Disney was the man behind the landgrab, leading to the press conference where Walt would reveal his plans for Disney World, including his concept for a city of the future, called Epcot.
