The stock market had its biggest gain since March as technology and bank stocks rose sharply, the Associated Press reports. The Dow increased 213.12 points (1.22%) to 17,706.05, the NASDAQ gained 95.27 points (2.00%) to finish at 4,861.06, and the S&P 500 closed 28.73 points (1.40%) higher at 2,076.77. The Russell 2000 climbed 23.94 points (2.15%) to 1,135.30, and the Wilshire 5000 was up 235.36 points (1.11%) at 21,460.57.

On the NYSE, 3.1 billion shares changed hands, and on the NASDAQ, 2.7 billion shares traded, with advancing issues outnumbering declining issues more than 3 to1 on both exchanges.

ON THIS DATE: In 1787, the Constitutional convention opened in Philadelphia with George Washington presiding. In 1925, John Scopes was indicted for teaching the Darwinian theory in school. In 1927, Ford Motor Company announced that the Model A would replace the Model T. In 1935, Babe Ruth hit his final homerun, his 714th, and set a record that would stand for 39 years. In 1935, Jesse Owens tied the world record for the 100-yard dash. He ran it in 9.4 seconds. In 1961, America was asked by U.S. President Kennedy to work toward putting a man on the moon before the end of the decade. In 1968, the Gateway Arch, part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri, was dedicated. In 1992, Jay Leno debuted as the new host of NBC’s “Tonight Show.” In 1997, U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond became the longest-serving senator in U.S. history (41 years and 10 months). In 2001, Erik Weihenmayer, 32, of Golder, Colorado, became the first blind climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest. In 2001, Sherman Bull, 64, of New Canaan, Connecticut, became the oldest climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest. In 2006, in Houston, former Enron Corp. chiefs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skillinng were convicted of conspiracy and fraud for the downfall of Enron.