Important Dates in the History of the U.S. Stock Markets

By rachellpalmer

  • Buttonwood Agreement

    24 stock-broking men designed the rules and regulations regarding how to buy and sell company shares and bonds.

  • First Constitution of American Stock Market

    The signers of the Buttonwood Agreement named their exchange the New York Stock and Exchange Board.

  • New Exchange Building Opens

    More space for business dealing was required, so architects came together to design a work place specifically to house the stock market, which officially opened on this date.

  • Black Tuesday

    The stock market crash of this day marked the beginning of the Great Depression, as around 16 million shares were traded in a single day.

  • Black Monday

    Stock markets crash around the world

  • Friday the 13th MiniCrash

    Buyout of United Airlines Failed, resulting in a crash

  • DOW Drops 555 Points

    Spurred on by plummets in Asian markets, the DOW fell over 7.2% in one day, and the NYSE was halted in the middle of the day due to a circuit crash to discourage another selling spree, to little avail.

  • Dot Com Bubble

    This was a result of the September 11 attacks, breaching the world technology "bubble."

  • NASDAQ Plummets 356 Points

    Warnings of rising inflation sent the NASDAQ into its worst day ever and DOW into a frenzy, with the DOW losing 618 points, or 5.7%.

  • Hurricane Katrina (Rita)

    With exorbitant job losses and damage costs, these natural disasters are responsible for further financial damages to the U.S. economy in oil and gasoline prices

  • DOW Sinks 778 Points

    This day marks some of the worst values since the Great Depression, with the stock panic caused by the House's inability to pass a bill to assuage the situation, resulting in the worst single-day losses in history.

  • DOW Plunges 679 Points

    This is the fifth-largest plunge in history, dating exactly one year since S&P 500's highest spike,

  • DOW Loses 733 Points

    President Bush announced that the government would partially control the nine largest banks in the nation, and with the recession in full swing, this accounts for the second largest single-day loss.

  • NYSE Drops 514.45 Points

    During one of the worst months of the history of the New York Stock Exchange, this day is known for the ninth-worst drop a month before a recession was declared.

  • DOW Sheds 680 points

    The National Bureau of Economic Research declared a recession after the dismal fiscal year around the globe.

  • Madoff Reveal

    Bernard Madofff reveals to his relatives that his valuable asset firm is a scam, with about $50 million ultimately topping his fraudulence.

  • DOW Drops 512.76 Points

    Dropping 4.3%, the DOW dropped a fourth of the percentage of the infamous drop on Black Thursday but was spurred on by the recession of 2008 and falling European markets.

  • DOW Loses 634.76 points

    Coined "Monday's market drop," this signaled history's sixth-worst market loss. It resulted in the US/s credit rating dropping from AAA ro AA+.

  • DOW Dropped 685 Points

    After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the NYSE was shut down for a week, with airline stocks taking some of the worst losses.

  • Two United States Stimulus Programs Expire

    Social security tax rates rise