Tuesday, the Dow gained 23.70 points (0.12%) to finish at 19,121.60, the NASDAQ increased 11.11 points (0.21%) to 5,379.92, and the S&P 500 was up 2.94 points (0.13%) at 2,204.66. The Russell 2000 decreased by 1.61 (0.12%) to 1,328.21, and the Wilshire 5000 closed 17.72 points (0.08%) higher at 23,046.99.

On the NYSE, 3.1 billion shares changed hands, and on the NASDAQ, 2.9 billion shares traded, with a slight lead for declining issues on both exchanges.

ON THIS DATE: In 1782, the United States and Britain signed preliminary peace articles in Paris, ending the Revolutionary War. In 1858, John Landis Mason received a patent for the first pepper shaker with a screw-on cap. In 1897, Thomas Edison’s own motion picture projector had its first commercial exhibition. In 1956, CBS replayed the program “Douglas Edward and the News” three hours after it was received on the West Coast. It was the world’s first broadcast via videotape. In 1981, the U.S. and the Soviet Union opened negotiations in Geneva that were aimed at reducing nuclear weapons in Europe. In 1993, U.S. President Bill Clinton signed into law the Brady Bill. The bill required a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases and background checks of prospective buyers. In 1998, the Deutsche Bank AG announced it would acquire Bankers Trust Corp. for $10.1 billion, creating the world’s largest financial institution.