MIT Political Science

Target opened its first store in a Minneapolis suburb, Roseville, in 1962. It was the same year that discounters Walmart and Kmart also launched their first stores, said Kathleen Thelen, a professor of political science at MIT and author of "Attention, Shoppers! American Retail Capitalism and the Origins of the Amazon Economy."

There was huge competition at the time among retailers with the discount store model emerging, Thelen told USA TODAY.

How Target became one of America's most iconic brands From its origins in Minneapolis to its cultural influence today, this is how Target helped shape America as one of the nation’s most iconic brands.