Over the past two centuries, there has been a constant changing of the guard among the world's most valuable companies. In 1901, steel was the key driver of value in the stock market, with United States Steel becoming the first-ever company to surpass a $1 billion valuation.

But by the end of the century, in 1995, General Electric had formed a dominant conglomerate that amassed a market capitalization of $100 billion. It was the first company to achieve that milestone, and it got there by operating in areas like energy, aviation, white goods, and financial services. 

Technology is the leading stock market force today, and the numbers have never been larger. After becoming the first company to ever reach a $1 trillion valuation in 2018, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is now worth $2.5 trillion. And it's joined in that exclusive club by just one other company -- its tech sector rival, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), which is worth a shade over $2 trillion. 

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Source Fool.com