First of all, numerous people today simply believe that Wall Street and the Stock Market are the same thing; in fact, that belief is generally very accurate. Wall Street is where the stock market first came into existence.

Stock Market History

Wall Street all began in 1653. Actually, it was first established by the Dutch, who originally set it up as a defense mechanism against any potential Native Americans. They had no idea that this fence would go on to become the capital of the whole world of finance and commerce.

The wall lasted a good while, until 1685. It was at this point at which the wall was torn down, and a new street came into existence. This street was dubbed Wall Street.

Eventually, the stock market began on Wall Street, and has grown to the point of facilitating the trading and exchange of billions of dollars daily. It wasn't always this way, however.

In the early 1900s numerous investors earned fortunes through the stock market. However, that all came crashing down in 1929, with the famous market crash and the signaling of the Great Depression-the biggest crash in stock market history.

However, the market crash of 1929 wasn't the only time the market would fall. In fact, this simply signaled the first of many downturns for the market in the coming years. The market did in fact recover form this crash, and went on a period of sporadic rising and falling until 1987, during which time the Dow Jones suffered the biggest one day downturn in stock market history.

The government, after this time, has tried to become more involved in preventing another such catastrophe. Every time the market crashes, the savings of thousands of investors are at a huge risk, and many have seen their life investments literally wiped out overnight. However, another such loss can never be completely eliminated.

By and large, however, the market has on the whole averaged growing by 12% for a significant time period, and overall has been a tremendous success for many investors. While it will take some research and due diligence, if you do become financially educated, you can and will make a fortune with your investments. Hopefully, this bit of stock market history will serve as an entertaining and enlightening guide to the past, and you can learn from it and capitalize for the future.