One of the most famous events to happen on my birthday (May 17th) was the signing of the Buttonwood Agreement in 1792 forming the New York Stock and Exchange Board. Previously exchanges of ownership in companies were handled by auctioneers who added substantial cost to transactions. The initial 24 broker-members agreed to charge each other "one quarter of one percent Commission on the Specie value and that we will give preference to each other in our Negotiations."
