The Stories Behind America’s Corporate Logos

1.Amazon.com. Founder Jeff Bezos settled on the name because it included the letters "a" and "z" to represent the wide range of books offered on the platform.

2. Apple. The company's logo was inspired by the (fictional) story of an apple falling on Isaac Newton's head.

3. AT&T. Since 1983, AT&T has used different iterations of its banded globe logo to reflect its global reach, a logo that continues to work well in the era of broadband internet.

4. Audi. The automaker's logo has been four interlocking circles since 1932.

5. Baskin-Robbins. The U.S.-based global chain has kept the "31" trademark and candy-color palate over the decades.

6. Bluetooth. The globally recognizable trademarked logo is a combination of two ancient Danish runes of the letters "H" and "B," the initials of Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson, a 10th century Danish King who united Denmark and Norway.

7. BMW.The iconic circular logo, which was created in 1917, alludes to the colors of Bavaria, the state in Germany where BMW was founded.

8. Chanel. The two interlocking "C" letters of the Chanel brand do coincide with the initials of founder, Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel.

9. Chevrolet. A theory behind the logo is that it was inspired by the Swiss flag as a nod to Louis Chevrolet's Swiss birthplace.

10. Cisco Systems.
The logo has evolved from a representation of the Golden Gate Bridge to one that looks more like electronic signal bars.

11. HSBC. This British bank based its logo on a stylized version of its corporate flag, which was inspired by the Cross of St. Andrew.

12. Mastercard. The interlocking circles symbolize the credit card company's global reach.

13. Mercedes Benz. The Mercedes Benz logo has been simplified over the decades to become the circle and three-point star it is today.

14. MGM. Several lions have been used in the MGM logo, but Leo remains the longest-serving MGM lion, the one you see today.

15. Mitsubishi. Company founder Yataro Iwasaki incorporated his family crest of three stacked rhombuses into the design.

16. NBC. The colorful bird has six feathers, each representing one of NBC's six divisions at the time: the network itself, news, sports, entertainment, TV stations, and operations and technical services.

17. Shell. The British-Dutch oil and gas company's logo is a throwback to the company's roots as a small London-based antiques and curios broker that sold seashells.

18. Starbucks. Originally including a topless double-tailed mermaid, the coffee chain's logo was remade to be more family-friendly.

19. Toblerone. According to legend, the chocolate bar's distinct easy-to-break triangle shapes were inspired by the shape of Switzerland's Matterhorn mountain peak that adorns the candy's packaging.