1896    Charles Dow publishes the first edition of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

1932    The Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches its lowest level of the Great Depression, bottoming out at 41.22.

1987    Black Monday - the Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 22%, 508 points.

1997    October 27, 1997 mini-crash: Stock markets around the world crash because of fears of a global economic meltdown. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummets 554.26 points to 7,161.15. For the first time, the New York Stock Exchange activates its "circuit breakers" twice during the day eventually making the controversial move of closing the Exchange early.

1999    The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above the 10,000 mark (10,006.78) for the first time, during the height of the internet boom.

2008    Following the bankruptcies of Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual, The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls 777.68 points, the largest single-day point loss in its history.

2008    After critical failures in the US financial system began to build up after mid-September, the Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches its lowest level since 1997.