Major U.S. stock indices closed lower yesterday as they ended what the Associated Press reports as their worst month in three years. The Dow decreased 114.98 points (0.69%) to 16,528.03, the NASDAQ fell 51.82 points (1.07%) to 4,776.51, and the S&P 500 lost 16.60 points (0.83%) to finish at 1,972.27. The Russell 2000 was down 3.53 points (0.30%) at 1,159.38, and the Wilshire 5000 closed 165.35 points (0.79%) lower at 20,802.96.                       

On the NYSE, 3.2 billion shares traded, with 1.3 declining issues for every advancing issue. On the NASDAQ, 2.7 billion shares changed hands, with an even split between advancers and decliners.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note was down 10/32, increasing its yield to 2.216%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond decreased 31/32, bringing its yield up to 2.961%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1799, The Bank of Manhattan Company opened in New York City. It was the forerunner of Chase Manhattan. In 1807, former U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr was found innocent of treason. In 1878, Emma M. Nutt became the first female telephone operator in the U.S., working for the Telephone Dispatch Company of Boston. In 1922, the first daily news program on radio was “The Radio Digest,” on WBAY radio in New York City. In 1939, World War II began when Germany invaded Poland. In 1970, the last episode of “I Dream of Jeannie” aired on NBC-TV. The show premiered on September 18, 1965. In 1972, America’s Bobby Fischer beat Russia’s Boris Spassky to become world chess champion. In 1979, the U.S. Pioneer 11 became the first spacecraft to visit Saturn. In 1985, the Titanic was found by Dr. Robert Ballard and Jean Louis Michel in a joint U.S. and French expedition. The wreck site is located 963 miles northeast of New York and 453 miles southeast of the Newfoundland coast. In 1998, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, which required front air bags on both sides for all cars and light trucks sold in the United States, went into effect.                                   

TUESDAY TRIVIA: The word “checkmate” in Chess comes from the Persian phrase “shah mat,” which means, “The King is dead.”