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.
In 1990, Citibank was the largest bank by assets, followed by Bank of America and Chase Manhattan. But it isnât hard to see how JPMorgan leaped to first place over the past 24 years: Chase merged with the two banks behind it in 1990, Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York and Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company.