The first person to enter Disneyland as a member of the general public was Dave MacPherson, a 22-year-old college student at the time. While the park had a star-studded, invite-only "press preview" day on July 17, 1955, the public opening occurred the following morning, July 18. MacPherson wanted to be the first "regular guy" in the park, so he arrived at the entrance at 2:00 AM to start the line. He purchased the very first ticket sold to the public (ticket number 000001) for just $1.00. In recognition of his place in history, Walt Disney eventually granted MacPherson a lifetime pass to Disneyland, which was later expanded to include any Disney park worldwide. For decades, he received a new "VIP Main Entrance Pass" every year. MacPherson's story is a legendary piece of Disney lore, representing the millions of fans who have visited the park since. Interestingly, he didn't even get to ride anything on that first day because he had to get back to his college classes in Long Beach!