Top 10 Dow Jones Drops

In the wake of the U.S. House of Representatives' 228-205 rejection of the Bush administration's $700 billion bailout bill, the Dow Jones industrial average plunged 778 points. It was the largest one-day drop in history, though in terms of market percentage lost, it failed to approach the calamitous crashes of 1987, 1929, and 1914.
—Alex Altman & Frances Romero

Wall Street Meltdowns

September 29, 2008

dek
Timothy A. Clary / AFP / Getty

778 points (7.0%)
The U.S. House of Representatives' failure to pass the Bush Administration's $700 billion bailout plan triggered the biggest one-day point drop in the history of the Dow Jones industrial average. The market plummeted 778 points, with sellers frantically dumping stocks as fears mounted that Congress would be unable to come up with a speedy fix for the nation's nearly frozen credit markets.