In the week ending April 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance was 274,000, an increase of 17,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 257,000, the Labor Department reported. The four-week moving average was 258,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 256,000.

Major U.S. stock indices ended mostly lower Thursday. Utilities and consumer stocks fell the most, according to the Associated Press. The Dow was up 9.45 points (0.05%) at 17,660.71, the NASDAQ decreased 8.55 points (0.18%) to 4,717.09, and the S&P was virtually unchanged at 2,050.62. The Russell 2000 closed 5.19 points (0.47%) lower at 1,107.94, and the Wilshire 5000 was down 17.61 points (0.08%) at 21,179.65.

On the NYSE, 3.1 billion shares traded, with a slight lead for decliners. On the NASDAQ, 2.7 billion shares changed hands, with 1.7 declining issues for every advancing issue.

ON THIS DATE: In 1840, the first adhesive postage stamps went on sale in Great Britain. In 1851, the mechanical refrigerator was patented by Dr. John Gorrie. In 1861, Arkansas became the ninth state to secede from the Union. In 1877, Chief Crazy Horse surrendered to U.S. troops in Nebraska. In 1889, the Universal Exposition opened in Paris, France, marking the dedication of the Eiffel Tower. Also at the exposition was the first automobile in Paris, the Mercedes-Benz. In 1937, the German airship Hindenburg crashed and burned in Lakehurst, New Jersey. Thirty-six people (of the 97 on board) were killed. In 1957, U.S. Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his book “Profiles in Courage.” In 1960, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act. In 2002, “Spider-Man” became the first movie to make more than $100 million in its first weekend.