May 17, 1792: Outside of 66 Wall Street, under a buttonwood tree, 24 stockbrokers and merchants signed what became known as the Buttonwood Agreement, which established The New York Stock Exchange. The very first listed company on the exchange was Bank of New York.
Source: History of the New York Stock Exchange via Library of Congress
Read more from Goizueta Business Library’s collection:
Wall Street: A History by Charles R. Geisst
What Goes Up: The Uncensored History of Modern Wall Street as Told by the Bankers, Brokers, CEOs, and Scoundrels Who Made It Happen by Eric J. Weiner
Changing the Rules: Adventures of a Wall Street Maverick by Aimee Lee Ball