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.
JPMorgan Chase and Co. is one of the nationâs oldest financial firms, tracing its roots to 1799 and the founding of the Bank of Manhattan Company. It bears the names of two of the most prominent firms in American banking history â J.P. Morgan and Chase Manhattan, which merged into a single company in 2000.