A first-class catastrophe: the road to Black Monday, the worst day in Wall Street history

Part one: Vanishing borders. Silver Thursday ; Bright ideas ; Chicago vs. New York ; Shifting gears ; A deal in D.C. ; Stock futures, bond failures

Part two: Titans and wizards. A plague from Oklahoma ; Bulls and banks ; Chicago rising ; Arbitrage and accommodation ; Banks on the brink

Part three: Contagion. Mergers and mutations ; Berkeley rising, banks falling ; Witching hours ; Rational markets? ; Pandora's portfolios ; January omens, July alarms

Part four: Reckoning. The worst weeks ever ; 508 points ; Juggling hand grenades ; Placing blame, dodging reality.