Use of nickel (as a natural meteoric nickelâiron alloy) has been traced as far back as 3500 BCE. Nickel was first isolated and classified as a chemical element in 1751 by Axel Fredrik Cronstedt, who initially mistook the ore for a copper mineral.
One of the most powerful bankers of his era, J.P. (John Pierpont) Morgan (1837-1913) financed railroads and helped organize U.S. Steel, General Electric and other major corporations.
Can one institution really have played an indirect role in killing the country's first Secretary of the Treasury, winning World War I, financing the largest firm in the world, contributing to the 2008 credit crisis, then helping avert an even worse financial disaster? Only on Wall Street. The history of JPMorgan Chase spans more than 200 years and includes numerous firms who merged to form today's banking behemoth. We collected the most important events that tells the story of this legendary firm.