Today I was lucky enough to go to the top floor of J.P. Morgan's headquarters, where they have artifacts relevant to the company's history.

Of particular interest (besides the view!) were the pistols from the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. I haven't seen "Hamilton," but the whole situation has fascinated me ever since I read about it as a glorified footnote in my high school American History class (textbooks always seem to do the reader a disservice, but that's a post for another day...).

Aaron Burr founded Bank of the Manhattan Company (or "Manhattan Bank" for short), which merged with Chase in 1955 to eventually become the commercial side of J.P. Morgan & Co.

Besides the pistols, I also got to see some of the first legal tender in America. Apparently banks issued dollar bills until the early 1900s. Among the cash notes I saw were the first dollar bill and a $10,000 bill (which can still be used as such, though it's not advisable, since it's worth much more than face value, obviously).

All in all, the tour was a great way to top off my week. I'm thankful I have the chance to do things like it.