Top Ten DOW Jones DropsIn the past few weeks the stock market has seen more turns and falls than your favorite rollercoaster. This graph shows <b>the top ten greatest single-day drops in the <a href='http://www.swivel.com/graphs/show/29901131'>DOW Jones</a></b>. September 29, 2008 marked the largest single-day drop in history as the DOW plunged 778 points (7%). The same day, the U.S. House of Representatives rejected the Bush administrations $700 billion bailout bill. The recent drops have stoked fears that the U.S. economy is on the verge of a <a href='http://www.swivel.com/graphs/show/29975726?zoom=1'>recession</a>, if not already deeply sunk in one. But if we take a look back into history, in terms of <a href='http://www.swivel.com/graphs/show/29975530?zoom=1'>market percentage loss</a> we haven't even come close to the catastrophic <a href='http://www.swivel.com/graphs/show/29975423?zoom=1'>stock market crashes</a> of 1987, 1929, and 1914.<br><br> Below is a brief account of the events that took place on the days of the top ten drops:<br> <b>September 29, 2008</b>: U.S. House of Representatives fails to pass the Bush Administration's $700 billion bailout plan.<br> <b>September 17, 2001</b>: Following the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history on 9/11, the market plummeted after the ASE and NYSE had been shut down for almost a week.<br> <b>April 14, 2000</b>: Investors lose 2 trillion dollars in a week. Core consumer prices rise 0.4% and investors ditch technology stocks.<br> <b>October 27, 1997</b>: The "mini-crash." Hong Kong Hand Seng Index falls 6% and the DOW has to close 30 minutes early.<br> <b>September 31, 1998</b>: Market corrects itself, stocks that skyrocketed (like Yahoo! and AOL) come back down.<br> <b>October 19, 1987</b>: Black Monday, the Dow loses more than one-fifth of its total value.<br> <b>September 15, 2008</b>: Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy. Bank of America buys Merrill Lynch.<br> <b>September 18, 2008</b>: Government bails out AIG for $85 billion, unease among traders.<br> <b>March 12, 2001</b>: tech bubble pops and stocks tumble, in addition to weak earning reports and a faltering economy.<br> <b>Febuary 27, 2007</b>: Slumping Chinese stocks, fears over domestic markets, and a Taliban assassination attempt on VP Dick Cheney.<br>declinedoweconomyindexstocks464700.0Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:36:52 -0700Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:14:18 -0700NatalieHorizontalBarGraphdefaultPoints