Tuesday, the Dow closed 473.39 points (1.79%) lower at 25,965.09, the NASDAQ lost 159.53 points (1.96%) to finish at 7,963.76, and the S&P 500 was down 48.42 points (1.65%) at 2,884.05. The Russell 2000 fell 32.66 points (2.02%) to 1,582.31, and the Wilshire 5000 decreased 506.55 points (1.67%) to 29,837.14.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note was up 9/32, decreasing its yield to 2.454%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond increased 22/32, bringing its yield down to 2.865%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1541, Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River. He called it Rio de Espiritu Santo. In 1794, the United States Post Office was established. In 1846, the first major battle of the Mexican War was fought. The battle occurred in Palo Alto, Texas. In 1847, the rubber tire was patented by Robert W. Thompson. In 1879, George Selden applied for the first automobile patent. In 1886, pharmacist Dr. John Styth Pemberton invented what would later be called “Coca-Cola.” In 1914, Congress passed a Joint Resolution that designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. In 1945, President Harry Truman announced that World War II had ended in Europe. In 1958, President Eisenhower ordered the National Guard out of Little Rock as Ernest Green became the first black to graduate from an Arkansas public school. In 1961, New Yorkers selected a new name for their new National League baseball franchise. They chose the Mets. In 1985, “New Coke” was released to the public on the 99th anniversary of Coca-Cola. In 1997, Larry King received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1999, the first female cadet graduated from The Citadel military college.

WEDNESDAY WISDOM: “Common sense is not so common.”—Voltaire, French writer, historian and philosopher