Banking History

  • Bank of England Established

    Bank of England Established
    First Central Bank established in the UK. Served as model for most modern central banks.
  • Congress Creates the First US Bank

    Congress Creates the First US Bank
    A Private Company, Partly Owned by Foreigners – to Handle the Financial Needs of the New Central Government Previously, the 13 states had their own banks, currencies and financial institutions.
  • JP Morgan Associate and Rockefeller Relative Nelson Aldrich Heads New National Monetary Commission

    Senate Republican leader, Nelson Aldrich, heads the new National Monetary Commission that was created to study the cause of the banking panic. Aldrich had close ties with J.P. Morgan and his daughter married John D. Rockefeller.
  • The “Roaring 20’s”

    The “Roaring 20’s”
    From 1921 to 1929 the Federal Reserve increased the money supply by $28 billion, almost a 62% increase over an eight-year period. This artificially created another “boom”.
  • “Black Thursday”, Stock Market Crash

    “Black Thursday”, Stock Market Crash
    The most devastating stock market crash in history. Billions of dollars in value were consolidated into the private banker’s hands at the expense of everyone else.
  • Worst Financial Crisis since the Great Depression

    Worst Financial Crisis since the Great Depression
    The financial crisis impacted people around the world – millions lost their homes, jobs, and retirement funds. Many of the smaller banks were absorbed by others, which allowed the biggest banks to further consolidate wealth and eliminate competition. In 2008, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. bought up both Washington Mutual (the biggest bank to “fail” in the history of the United States) and Bear Stearns (the fifth largest investment bank).