Biography: Wall Street

The modern-day geographic area known as "Wall Street" - which, of course, serves as the center of finance in the Western world - bears unusual and quite literal historical origins: it first took root in the 17th Century, when Dutch settlers erected a twelve-foot wall in lower Manhattan to protect themselves from the Britons and Native Americans. This Biography Channel special traces Wall Street's long and eventful history, from the 1600s into the mid-20th century, when it began to hold court as one of the most powerful financial centers in modern society. Along the way, the program profiles financial gurus including Jim Cramer, Lou Dobbs and Maria Bartiroma, all of whom helped make Wall Street the titan that it is today.