A Brief History of the Federal Reserve Bank

Chairman Greenspan
Appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1987, Greenspan served under four presidents, retiring in 2006. During his almost twenty years as Fed Chairman, investors parsed and analyzed his public statements and countenance for clues about the Fed's plans. His statement that the Fed "affirmed its readiness to serve as a source of liquidity to support the economic and financial system," made shortly after the stock market crashed in 1987, is often credited for controlling the fallout from that crisis.

• Ben Bernanke: TIME's 2009 Person of the Year