Friday, the Dow decreased 59.34 points (0.22%) to 26,597.05, the NASDAQ closed 18.81 points (0.23%) lower at 8,102.02, and the S&P 500 was down 6.43 points (0.22%) at 2,927.25. The Russell 2000 was up 3.04 points (0.19%) at 1,588.13, and the Wilshire 5000 decreased 53.39 points (0.18%) to 30,247.33.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note increased 13/32, bringing its yield down to 2.522%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond climbed 28/32, decreasing its yield to 2.935%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1846, the Mexican-American War ignited as a result of disputes over claims to Texas boundaries. In 1859, work began on the Suez Canal in Egypt. In 1901, New York became the first state to require license plates for cars. The fee was $1. In 1945, delegates from about 50 countries met in San Francisco to organize the United Nations. In 1953, Senator Wayne Morse ended the longest speech in U.S. Senate history. The speech on the Offshore Oil Bill lasted 22 hours and 26 minutes. In 1959, St. Lawrence Seaway opened to shipping. The water way connects the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. In 1983, Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov invited Samantha Smith to visit his country after receiving a letter in which the U.S. schoolgirl expressed fears about nuclear war. In 1990, the U.S. Hubble Space Telescope was placed into Earth’s orbit. It was released by the space shuttle Discovery.