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Stockade Erected in Manhattan
A 12-foot-high wood stockade is erected across lower Manhattan from river to river to protect Dutch settlers from attacks by the British and Indians. -
Wallstreet Laid Out
Surveyors lay out "Wall Street" along the line of the stockade -
Beginning of the US Investment Market
The federal government refinances all federal and state Revolutionary War debt, issuing $80 million in bonds. These become the first major issues of publicly traded securities, marking the birth of the U.S. investment markets. -
Meeting Under the Buttonwood Tree
A group of 24 merchants and brokers gathered on Wall Stree under a buttonwood tree to sign an agreement to trade secutities on a commission basis. -
Erie Canal Opens
The opening of the Erie Canal makes New York City the seaboard gateway for the Great Lakes region. New York State bonds, issued to finance the canal, are traded actively on the Exchange. -
Telegraph is Invented
The telegraph is invented, broadening market participation by facilitating communication with brokers and investors outside New York City -
The Great Fire
The Great Fire destroys over 700 buildings in lower Manhattan. The NYS&EB moves to temporary headquarters -
Panic of 1857
The Ohio Life Insurance & Trust Company collapses. Prices drop eight to ten percent in the course of a single trading session, the culmination of a 45% decline in market value since the beginning of the year. -
The Civil War
With the outbreak of the Civil War the NYS&BE suspend trading in seceding states. -
New Name!
The New York Stock and Exchange Board changes its name to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). -
The First Stock Ticker
Invented by Edward A. Calahan, the stock ticker revolutionizes the stock market by bringing current prices to investors everywhere. -
NYSE Establishes Clearing House
The New York Stock Exchange Clearing House is organized to centralize and expedite the transfer of securities from broker to broker. -
Stock Market Relocates
The NYSE moves to their current location at 18 Broad Street. -
Panic of 1907
Rumors of financial problems at Knickerbocker Trust, a leading NY bank, triggers a run on banks throughout the city. This begins the Panic of 1907, regarded as America's most severe financial crisis to date. J.P. Morgan, Sr., who orchestrates a massive operation to infuse cash into banks and shore up the stock market, stems the panic almost single-handedly -
Exchange Shuts Down!
WWI causes securities exchanges around the world suspend operations to stop plunging prices. The NYSE closes its doors and doens't open for 4 and a half months. -
Black Thursday
Five days later, the market crashes on a level that wouldn't be surpassed for 39 years. It becomes known as the Great Depression. -
Paperwork Crisis
As trading volume surges, member firms struggle to process transactions on time. Member firm back offices work around the clock to keep up. The "paperwork crisis" continues for months, spurring increased automation -
Board of Directors Established
In an important organizational change to strengthen the role of the public, investors and listed companies in NYSE governance, the 33-member Board of Governors is replaced by a 21-member Board of Directors with 10 public members. Concurrently, James J. Needham becomes the first full-time salaried chairman of the Exchange. -
Largest One-Day Percentage Drop
On October 19, the Dow Jones Industrial Average experiences its largest one-day percentage drop in history, 508 points or 22.61 percent. This drop causes volume to surge to an unprecedented 604 million shares. The next day, volume reaches 608 million shares. -
Terrorist Attacks on the World Trade Center
On September 11, terrorist attacks destroy the World Trade Center. The NYSE closes for four days -- its longest closure since 1933 -- and reopens on Sept. 17, setting a record volume of 2.37 billion shares