The modern credit card began with a businessman who forgot his wallet at dinner
After Frank McNamara was embarrassed in 1949 when he couldn't pay a New York restaurant bill, he co-founded Diners Club, launching the first general-purpose charge card in 1950. Members paid a single participating restaurant's bill with a card and settled the balance monthly — a model Bank of America's BankAmericard, later renamed Visa, expanded into everyday retail in 1958.