American Express Time Line

Timeline

1850:

Henry Wells and William Fargo form the American Express Company.

1852:

Wells and Fargo create Wells, Fargo & Company.

1868:

American Express and Merchants Union Express merge.

1891:

First Travelers Cheques are offered.

1933:

While hundreds of banks fail during the Depression, American Express stays open.

1958:

American Express personal charge card is launched.

1966:

America Express Gold Card is introduced.

1970:

American Express card for companies is launched.

1987:

Optima card is introduced to challenge MasterCard and Visa.

1998:

Company purchases France's largest travel service, Havas Voyages.

1999:

Blue card with the Smart Chip for security is introduced.

2000:

New offices open in Beijing, China.

2001:

Company suffers losses during the World Trade Center attacks; temporarily moves headquarters to New Jersey.

2002:

Increases focus on financial services.

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