On This Day: Disneyland Opened, July 17, 1955

Thanks to visionary Walt Disney, people around the globe still enjoy a day of "nostalgia, fantasy, and futurism."

Who doesn't like Tomorrowland and can't get the lyrics of "Small World," out of their head for days after leaving?

Laguna Niguel is about 30 miles away from Disneyland and it takes about 37 minutes to get to, on a good day with no traffic on the I-5.

Walt's park in Anaheim, opened on July 17, 1955. The $17 million theme park was built on 160 acres of former orange groves in Anaheim and soon brought in staggering profits. Today, Disneyland hosts more than 14 million visitors a year, who spend close to $3 billion, according to History.com

The site adds that Disney, born in Chicago in 1901, worked as a commercial artist before setting up a small studio in Los Angeles to produce animated cartoons. In 1928, his short film Steamboat Willy, starring the character "Mickey Mouse," was a national sensation.

For more about the theme park, visit here