Key Milestones in the Stock Market Timeline You Should Know

A comprehensive timeline of the stock market would fill volumes. However, in the following few paragraphs, I will highlight some of the most important events on the stock market timeline that you might find interesting.

Our journey through the stock market timeline begins in 1790, when the federal government issued $80 million in U.S. bonds. By 1792, there were two government bonds and three bank stocks being traded, for a total of five securities.

Moving into the 1800s, government bonds, bank stocks, and insurance stocks were being traded following the War of 1812. In 1817, a constitution and rules for stock trading were developed, and the New York Stock and Exchange Board was formally organized.

In 1825, with the opening of the Erie Canal, New York State bonds were issued to fund the construction. By 1850, the volume of shares traded reached 8,500—representing a fifty-fold increase in just seven years. During this time, in 1836, the NYS&EB prohibited its members from trading stocks “in the street.”

In the panic of 1857, the collapse of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company led to a significant market downturn, with losses of 45% since the start of the year. In 1863, the New York Stock and Exchange Board officially became the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

In 1903, the NYSE moved to its current location at 18 Broad Street in New York City. One of the most significant events on our timeline is the panic of 1907, during which issues at Knickerbocker Trust led to a run on city banks—only for J.P. Morgan to step in and restore stability.

In 1913, the Federal Reserve was established, and by the end of World War I, Wall Street had become the investment capital of the world, overtaking London. A 23-story office tower was built next to the original NYSE structure to add more trading space.

A historic bull market began in 1923, lasting for most of the next six years. However, on October 24, 1929—known as Black Thursday—stock prices fell sharply with a record volume of 13 million shares traded. This was followed by the crash of October 29, 1929, marking the beginning of the Great Depression.

Fast forward to 1990, and more than 50 million Americans owned stocks. On May 17, 1992, the NYSE celebrated its 200th anniversary. On October 27, 1997, the Dow Jones fell by 554 points, triggering the first circuit breaker, which led to the early closure of the NYSE.

Moving into the 21st century, we experienced some of the worst financial crises since the Great Depression, including federal government bailouts and taxpayer-owned corporations. Only time will tell where the stock market timeline will take us next.