<p>The stock is possibly just as unpredictable as human behavior &#8211; if not even more unpredictable. Perhaps that&#8217;s why it has a history that includes so many interesting facts. Learn these 5 interesting historical facts about the stock market. They might not make you a better investor, but you&#8217;ll rule at trivia night.</p>
<h2>Fact #1: The New York Stock Exchange is America&#8217;s Largest</h2>
<p><img src="https://medusamagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/5-Interesting-Historical-Facts-About-the-Stock-Market-600x401.jpg" alt="5 Interesting Historical Facts About the Stock Market" width="600" height="401" class="aligncenter size-Correct wp-image-3560" /></p>
<p>Image via Flickr by kevingessner</p>
<p>The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), which was founded in 1792, is the largest stock exchange in the United States. A group of stockbrokers created the NYSE by drafting a document of rules and regulations called the Buttonwood Agreement.</p>
<p>The NYSE is so large that it once traded 2.1 billion shares in a single day (January 4, 2001).</p>
<h2>Fact #2: The Dow Jones is Named for Two Journalists</h2>
<p>The Dow Jones Industrial Average is named after Charles Dow and Edward Jones. Both men were financial news reporters.</p>
<p>They formed Dow, Jones, and Company in 1882. The following year they published a daily, two-page paper called the Customers&#8217; Afternoon Letter that summarized the day&#8217;s activities. Charles Dow stood out as an exceptional reporter who could write about complicated financial matters in a way that average people could understand.</p>
<p>Their two-page paper evolved into the renowned Wall Street Journal.</p>
<h2>Fact #3: 3 of the 5 Largest Exchanges Aren&#8217;t American</h2>
<p>NYSE is the world&#8217;s largest stock exchange, followed by US-based NASDAQ. The other three, however, aren&#8217;t in the United States.</p>
<p>The other three, in order, are:</p>
<ul>
<li>Tokyo Stock Exchange</li>
<li>London Stock Exchange</li>
<li>Shanghai Stock Exchange</li>
</ul>
<p>This could explain why the Fisher Investments address lists offices in London as well as in the United States.</p>
<h2>Fact #4: The First Bonds Traded in the U.S. Were War Bonds</h2>
<p>In 1790, the United States sold $80 million of bonds in 1790 to pay debt accrued during the Revolutionary War. These were the nation&#8217;s first publicly traded securities.</p>
<p>The Treasury Department currently sells six types of bonds and securities.</p>
<h2>Fact #5: Boom and Bust Contributed to the Great Depression</h2>
<p>During the 1920s, market speculators made a lot of money investing in stocks. This caused the price of stocks to keep going up, which made them look like they were earning even more money.</p>
<p>Over the decade, a handful of critics argued that the growth was unsustainable and that it would eventually lead to a crash that would cripple the American economy. Two mini-crashes happened in 1929, but the market rebounded quickly and kept moving forward until October 24th, when it dropped so quickly that it caused a panic. Investors sold 12.9 million shares that day. That day was given the ominous name &#8220;Black Thursday.&#8221;</p>
<p>The market continued to fall until it reached a low point in 1932, when the Dow Jones closed at an abysmal 41.22.</p>
<p>As proven by the stock market crash and the resulting Great Depression, the history of the stock market has had very close ties to the country&#8217;s history. What other interesting facts do you know about the stock market?</p>