The inauguration of Abraham Lincoln on March 4, 1861. 1857 The Panic of 1857 is the first financial crisis to spread across the U.S. due to the availability of the telegraph 1860 The first Pony Express leaves St. Joseph, Mo. 1871 1860 Abraham Western Union launches the first longdistance wire transfer 1871 * Bank of Charles Town * Cornerstone Bank * Community First Bank * Greenfield Banking Company * Bank of Yates City * First National Bank in Fredonia * The Geo. D. Warthen Bank 1863 National Banking Act passed Lincoln elected president 1861 Civil War begins 1913 The Federal Reserve Act creates a central banking system 1914 World War I begins Sen. Carter Glass (D-Va.) was a major figure behind the creation of the Federal Reserve and FDIC. 1918 The influenza pandemic begins in the U.S. * McClave State Bank * Farmers State Bank * The Idabel National Bank * Fannin Bank 1930 A group of 28 community bankers form the Independent Community Bankers of America in rural Minnesota * Bank of Frankewing * Farmers National Bank * First State Bank of Campbell Hill * First National Bank in Frankfort * Nebraska State Bank Back in 1918, Red Cross workers wore face masks to protect themselves against the Spanish flu. independentbanker.org Q 53 Pony Express Stamp, 1860 $1,000 national bank notehttp://www.independentbanker.org