Like a fever, revolutions come in waves. And if this is a revolution, then it broke first on November 4, 2008, with the election of Barack Obama, second, on February 19, 2009, with the explosion of anger by Rick Santelli, giving birth to the Tea Party, and third, on September 10, 2011 with the #Occupy movements that are now spreading across the United States.

Two days after saying that the Occupy Wall Street protesters are welcome to stay, Mayor Michael Bloomberg made a surprise visit Wednesday to the Lower Manhattan park that has for weeks served as the demonstration's home base.

The following photos are from a fascinating series by Eddie McShane called The Occupiers. A description of the series was provided by McShane: "I live in New York City and until yesterday had not gone to Zucotti Park to see the Occupy Wall Street protests for myself.

Why are the Occupy Wall Streeters so angry at bankers? This chart might give you some idea: That chart is from a new report from the New York State Comptroller's office on the securities industry in New York City.