The "A" and "W" in A&W Root Beer stand for "Allen" and "Wright," the two founders of the company. Roy Allen purchased a root beer formula from an Arizona pharmacist and sold his first mug of root beer in 1919. In 1922, he took a partner -- Frank Wright, one of his original employees. Two years later, in 1924, Allen bought wright's share of the business back, but he stuck with the name, and the rest is history. By 1933, he had more than 170 franchised A&W outlets, and by 1950 he had more than 450 outlets nationwide.