10 of the Oldest Companies in the S&P 500

The S&P 500 wasn't always the standard-bearer that it is today -- the index that's generally seen as a stand-in for the market as a whole. That title belonged to the Dow Jones Industrial Average for much of the stock market's history, but you might be surprised to learn that many of the companies in the S&P 500 are older than the index itself. In fact, some are nearly as old as the country.

Keep reading to see 10 of the oldest companies in the S&P 500.

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