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World War I is a turning point. America emerges from the war as a creditor rather than a debtor nation, and Wall Street supplants London as the world investment capital. Over the next decade, more than 1,700 foreign issues will be offered publicly in the U.S.
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The Exchange completes a 23-story office tower with additional trading space. The New Trading Room is referred to as “the Garage”, because it is next to the original structure.
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Stock prices fall sharply on Black Thursday, with record volume of nearly 13 million shares. Five days later, the market crashes on volume of over 16 million shares -- a level not to be surpassed for 39 years. In popular imagery, the crash has come to mark the beginning of the Great Depression
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William McChesney Martin, Jr., becomes the first full-time salaried president of the exchange.
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The NYSE opens its trading floor gallery to the public. The gallery is known today as the Interactive Education Center
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Women work on the Stock Exchange trading floor for the first time ending the tradition of men only.
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Victorious American troops are welcomed home with a ticker tape parade. The Exchange closes August 15-16 for V-J Day
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The NYSE launches the "Own Your Share of American Business" educational and marketing program, aimed at expanding public participation in the stock market.
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President Dwight D. Eisenhower suffers a heart attack on September 24, creating a large wave of selling at the NYSE. Both the president and the market recover quickly.
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International Federation of Stock Exchange is organized
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The assassination of President Kennedy on November 22 forces an emergency early closing of the Exchange to avoid panic selling.
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Muriel Siebert becomes the first woman member of the Exchange.
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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
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Joseph L. Searles III becomes the first African-American member of the Exchange.
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The NYSE is incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation
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On July 27, the NYSE lists its first member organization, Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.
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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.
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Bruno Des Forges becomes the first non-US member of the Exchange.
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March 28
The United States' 40th President, Ronald Reagan, becomes the first U.S. President to visit the NYSE while in office. -
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.
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Former President Ronald Reagan and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev tour the trading floor during a visit to the NYSE to commemorate the NYSE's bicentennial.
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The DJIA experiences its largest one-day point gain - 499.19 points - to close at 10,630.60.
