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Dutch settlers put up a 12-foot (3.6-meter) high wooden barrier across the lower end of Manhattan to protect them from attacks by native Americans and the British.
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Wall Street is laid out along the line of the stockade.
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Twenty-four brokers and merchants sign the Buttonwood Agreement, agreeing to trade securities in return for commission. The pact was named for a Buttonwood tree that was their informal meeting place.
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A formal organization is formed among brokers called the New York Stock & Exchange Board, renting rooms at 40 Wall Street.
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The New York Stock & Exchange Board changes its name to the New York Stock Exchange.
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The stock "ticker" is invented, revolutionizing the market by allowing investors to get current stock prices anywhere.
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The first telephone is installed on the floor of the exchange, two years after Alexander Graham Bell's successful tests of the new technology.
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The NYSE moves to a new building at the corner of Broad Street and Wall Street, where it is still housed today.
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As World War I escalated, the NYSE closed for more than four months to stop plunging stock prices. It was the longest the NYSE has been closed.
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Stocks fall dramatically on Oct. 24, which became known as "Black Thursday" and is considered the start of the Great Depression.
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In the midst of World War II, women work on the floor of the NYSE for the first time.
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NYSE closes for four days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. When it reopens, the Dow falls 684.81 points, steepest one-day point decline.
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NYSE Group merges with European stock exchange operator Euronext, forming NYSE Euronext.
