The History of Wall Street
When people in the media, or just people in the know, refer to the
various stock markets in lower Manhattan in New York City, they
usually just refer to Wall Street. The now famous financial district
has become synonymous with large amounts of money, power and
influence. But how did one street manage to evolve into such an
important address?
Ironically, most major investment firms that helped to build Wall
Street into the financial force that it is today aren't even
headquartered there anymore. Thanks to technology advancements, these
companies are usually headquartered in other parts of Manhattan or in
neighbouring New Jersey or Connecticut. One of the most influential
companies in Wall Street history, J.P. Morgan moved from the address
that they helped make famous in late 2001.
The name Wall Street was actually given to the street since it formed
a boundary to the New Amsterdam settlement in the early 1600's. To
help ward off the British, a 12-foot wall was built around the street
to keep out invaders in 1653. In 1792, the Buttonwood agreement
started the New York Stock Exchange and its headquarters would be on
Wall Street.
In 1889, a newspaper that would eventually become the Wall Street
Journal began publication. The paper took its name from the fact that
a growing financial district was sprouting around the stock exchange
and many companies that would go on to be powerful forces in the
United States economy were headquartered there.
One of the most well known symbols of Wall Street, the JP Morgan
headquarters, was built in 1914. The building still stands today, but
is now owned and run by Deutsche Bank.
Wall Street has seen its fair share of history over the years, with
the 1920 bombing that killed around 40 people and injured 400 to the
great crash of 1929 that saw some people kill themselves. Today, if
you check the front façade of the JP Morgan building, you can still
see pock marks of the 1920 terrorist attack.
The construction of the World Trade Centers were the only real major
architectural change to the financial district in the last half of the
20th century, and their subsequent destruction has left a void in the
hearts and minds of many that work and live near there.
The history of Wall Street is a collage of incredible highs and
devastating lows. As the center for American and some would say world
finance, you can bet that there will be plenty of memories made on the
most famous street in the world.
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