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or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at into History.com. It's midday on September 16th, 1920 on Wall Street in New York City.

17 year old messenger James Saul steps out of the road as a motor car makes its way down the

busy street.

James watches the progress of the expensive vehicle with a hint of jealousy.

The driver's probably a rich investor, and James doesn't have that kind of money.

Instead, he spends his days waiting outside the New York Stock Exchange, hoping to earn a few coins carrying messages between the banks

that line Wall Street.

More than 50 years ago, the New York Stock Exchange became America's biggest financial

marketplace.

When rich investors first started meeting there to buy and sell stock,

banks scrambled to set up branches that were close to the action.

Now, Wall Street is a bustling hub where Americans can gain and

lose fortunes in a matter of minutes so speedy messengers like James are vital to

keep the system running smoothly. But in between jobs, messengers just have to wait

around for someone to enlist their services. A noisy group of brokers exits a stock exchange,

and James looks up hopefully, but none of them gives them a

second glance. Instead the brokers pause on the sidewalk as a horse-drawn wagon

rolls down the street. The wagon stops outside J.P. Morgan's bank,

and the driver hops down from his seat and hustles into a side alley.

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