Look at the names that have come and gone

of Dow Jones Industrial Average has surpassed another important milestone. This is the latest in a nearly 130-year rally involving an ever-changing set of stocks.

Friday’s close average exceeded the 50,000 mark for the first time in history. But today’s index is very different than it was a century ago, or even just a few decades ago.

This average was created by Charles Dow in 1896 for just 12 industrial stocks. In combination with Dow Jones Traffic Averagethe two were collectively intended to provide an indicator of the broader economy. After eight stocks were added in 1916, followed by 10 more stocks in 1928, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has lasted nearly a century with 30 members.

Companies have been added and removed as the economy has developed to reflect a country’s industrial presence. Let’s take technology as an example. It currently includes seven prominent names in the sector, reflecting the sector’s growing profile in the stock market and corporate world.

According to S&P Dow Jones Indices, there is a committee that controls stock selection for a reputable group of blue-chip stocks. Owned by S&P Global A company that operates benchmarks. Although there are no defined rules, this group typically analyzes a company’s reputation, growth over time, and relevance to investors. A sector’s representation in the Dow and its position in the broader market can also have an impact.

The only caveat: It does not include utility or transportation stocks. Dow Jones Utility Average and transport average.

As the Dow Jones Industrial Average hits its latest milestone, CNBC takes a look back at the companies that made up the index at key moments in the past.

It may be hard to imagine given recent results, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average was trading below $1,000 until the early 1970s.

The index surpassed its level on November 14, 1972, just over a week after Richard Nixon won the presidential election. It ended the year up more than 14%.

Even in a year when “Rocketman” and “Lean on Me” topped the music charts and “The Godfather” hit theaters, industrials and materials stocks still dominated the index. Some names, such as General Foods and International Harvester, have been acquired or no longer exist. Some of the companies that originally comprised this group, chevron and procter and gamblestill a member.

It wasn’t until the mid-1990s that the Dow average topped $5,000.

This level was reached on November 20, 1995. However, it was not until November 21 of that year that the Dow officially closed above this level.

1995 was the best year for the Dow since 1975, with gains of over 33%, and it remains the sixth best year on record. By the time this milestone was reached, the 1987 stock market crash known as Black Monday had gone back almost a decade.

In 1995, “Clueless” and “Toy Story” captured the attention of America’s youth, and Oasis had just released the hit song “Wonderwall.” By this point, the following stocks will be added: mcdonalds and walt disneysome of the members who remain in the index today retained their memberships.

Within just four years, the Dow reached an even more significant price point of $10,000.

The average first reached this level on March 16, 1999. However, it took several days of volatile trading for the index to close above 10,000 on March 29, 1999.

Americans were preparing for the turn of the century, worrying that the “Y2K problem” would become a reality. The book version of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” has been released.

March 1999 was also the peak of the dot-com bubble, which would be replaced by the massive market crash that began exactly about a year later. Still, technology had not yet emerged as a major part of the Dow. apple and microsoft Haven’t earned a spot yet. and alcoholSears and Union Carbide were still members.

The market will have to overcome two major setbacks before the Dow reaches $20,000.

The dot-com bubble and the global financial crisis characterized much of the 2000s from an economic perspective. However, after continuing to rise in the early to mid-2010s, the index reached its benchmark on January 25, 2017.

The record was achieved just days after Donald Trump was sworn into his first term as president. The Dow will end the year with a return of more than 25%.

More than seven years later, about five out of six stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average are still holding their own. By 2017, several important technology names had been added, along with stocks such as: visa, traveler and nike It still remains.

It will be several years before the Dow officially adds another 10,000 points.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average topped 30,000 for the first time on November 24, 2020, as the pandemic defined daily life in America. Earlier that month, Joe Biden had been elected to replace Trump as president. The Dow ended 2020 up more than 7%.

By 2020, technology’s relevance within the index had only increased as many workers and students were sent home due to health precautions. One of the latest editions was Cloud Software Stock sales force. replaced exxon mobilhas been indexed for over 90 years.

Less than four years later, in May 2024, the Dow hit $40,000, adding another feather to its cap.

Of course, those few years weren’t all smooth sailing. 2022 was the Dow’s worst year since 2008, but a rebound in 2023 erased that decline. The index rose nearly 13% in 2024.

Much of that rally was tied to investor excitement around artificial intelligence. In this vein, the mega-cap tech stocks known as the “Magnificent Seven” were considered to be highly influential as the market soared to new heights. One of those members is e-commerce giant Amazon — replaced by Walgreens in early 2024.

It took less than two years for the Dow to break above the $50,000 level.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average’s latest milestone illustrates how stock investors continue to climb the wall of fear. Stocks initially plummeted in early April 2025 after President Trump announced his plans for broad and expensive tariffs. As recently as this week, tech stocks have faced significant pressure from concerns about corporate AI spending and the potential hit to sectors such as software.

Friday’s jump came amid a big rally for the Dow, with the index gaining more than 1,200 points during the session.

chip manufacturer Nvidia took the place of intel The move is widely seen as reflecting the company’s leadership in AI, due in late 2024. sherwin williams was also added to the index at that time and replaced. Dow Corporation