This Week in Financial History: Stories to Remember

Whatever holiday you celebrate, hope you had a great one with your friends and family.

It’s a beautiful start to the new year- a chance to build new habits, meet new people, and find new investments.

We’re wrapping up a great year for the stock market, with major indices, big tech, and mega-caps ripping higher and higher. We even saw Bitcoin break $100,000 - an inconceivable price just a few days ago.

For those of you with a team left in College Football Playoffs, good luck this week.

As a thank you to all of our loyal subscribers, we are offering an exclusive 20% off the entire Ticker History Wall Street Collectables shop with code “NewYear” until this Friday, 1/3.

This year will be even better. Remember, Stay Bullish.

January 5, 1926: Ford Introduces The Eight-Hour Workday 📅

Henry Ford gave his employees an eight-hour workday and a daily wage of $5, a major increase from the standards of the time. By offering unprecedented wages and shorter work hours, Ford created a motivated and loyal workforce, attracting skilled laborers from across the country. Employee retention was key to Ford’s assembly line production model, and this “less is more” approach solidified his dominant position in the market.

This strategy also significantly expanded the consumer base for Ford’s vehicles, as employees could now purchase the cars they were making. Productivity and sales soared as profits doubled from $30 million in 1914 to $60 million by 1916.

Other businesses were forced to adopt similar practices or risk losing talented workers, and the eight-hour workday became the standard for modern labor practices.

For historic stock certificates from auto companies, check out the Ticker History Automotive collection.

January 3, 1977: Apple Becomes Apple, Inc. 📅

Founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in 1976, Apple had gained attention for its innovative approach to personal computing with the Apple I. The three took a major step in formally incorporating Apple Computer, Inc. turning the company from a small startup run from a garage to major tech entity. Incorporation allowed Apple to expand its operations, attract investment, and provide legal protections as it began to scale its efforts to build and market computers.

This marked the beginning of an era of rapid growth for the company. Apple’s focus on user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing computers led to the success of the Apple II, which became the first commercially successful personal computer ever mass produced. Over the next few years, Apple would revolutionize the tech landscape with innovations such as the Macintosh, which introduced the graphical user interface to a broader audience.

In 2011, Apple’s original signed incorporation documents, shown below, sold for $1.6 million at a Sotheby’s auction.

Check out original stock certificates from tech companies, like this Atari Stock Certificate or the Apple Stock certificate post card replica in our shop!

December 30, 2004: Facebook Gets Its 1,000,000th User 📅

“TheFacebook”, later rebranded to Facebook, reached its one millionth user just ten months after its launch by Mark Zuckerberg and his college roommates. Originally planned as a networking tool for Harvard students, the platform quickly took off with other Ivy League schools, then other universities, and then the general public. Inspired by people’s usage of AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) to check away statuses, user growth was driven by the ability to personalize profiles and connect with friends.

By 2006, Facebook had surpassed 10 million users, and by 2012, it reached 1 billion users, becoming the first social media platform to achieve such a feat. As of 2024, Facebook, now known as Meta, has over 2.9 billion monthly active users, making it one of the largest social media platforms. The company's user growth has lead to significant financial success, with Meta generating over $116 billion in revenue in 2023.

Check out our collection of dot-com era stock certificates!

More Events From This Week In History 📅

Ticker History Presents 📅

Ticker History’s 2024 Wrapped 📅

This Just In 📅

Looking Forward 📅

That’s old news. What can we look forward to this week?

• The College Football Playoffs is down to the quarterfinals, with two games on January 1 and two on January 3.

• Fun fact: three companies report earnings on January 1, 2025. Sounds like three C-suites aren’t looking forward to a fun New Year’s Eve.

• Apple’s AI-powered devices, Meta’s smart glasses, and the Nintendo Switch 2 release dates should be announced any day now.

• Happy birthday to LeBron James and Tiger Woods on December 30th!

As always, remember that true wealth comes from friends and family. Whatever your plans are for New Year’s Eve, please remember to drive sober or find a designated driver.