Tuesday, the Dow decreased 53.76 points (0.30%) to 18,169.27, the NASDAQ lost 26.43 points (0.50%) to finish at 5,283.40, and the S&P 500 closed 8/17 points (0.38%) lower at 2,143.16. The Russell 2000 fell 10.34 points (0.84%) to 1,216.10, and the Wilshire 5000 was down 109.72 points (0.49%) at 22,281.29.

On the NYSE, 3.1 billion shares changed hands, with 3 declining issues for every 2 advancing issues. On the NASDAQ, 2.9 billion shares traded, with a more than 2 to 1 lead for decliners.

ON THIS DATE: In 1825, the Erie Canal opened in upstate New York. The 363-mile canal connects Lake Erie and the Hudson River. In 1858, H.E. Smith patented the rotary-motion washing machine. In 1881, the “Gunfight at the OK Corral” took place in Tombstone, Arizona. The fight was between Wyatt Earp, his two brothers and Doc Holiday and the Ike Clanton Gang. In 1942, the U.S. ship Hornet was sunk in the Battle of Santa Cruz during World War II. In 1944, during World War II, the Battle of Leyte Gulf ended. The battle was won by American forces and brought the end of the Pacific phase of World War II into sight. In 1949, U.S. President Harry Truman raised the minimum wage from 40 cents to 75 cents an hour. In 1962, the Soviet Union made an offer to end the Cuban Missile Crisis by taking their missile bases out of Cuba if the U.S. agreed to not invade Cuba and would remove Jupiter missiles in Turkey. In 1970, “Doonesbury,” the comic strip by Gary Trudeau, premiered in 28 newspapers across the U.S. In 1984, “Baby Fae” was given the heart of baboon after being born with a severe heart defect. She lived for 21 days with the animal heart. In 1990, Wayne Gretzky became the first NHL player to reach 2,000 points.