August 24: Yippie Action

On this date in 1967, Abbie Hoffman and some dozen young men and women visited the visitor’s gallery at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and threw about $300 worth of dollar bills onto the trading floor, two floors below. (“The only reason you won’t let us in is because we’re Jewish,” Hoffman told the NYSE security guards who sought to block their entry.) Some traders booed at the group while others began to scramble to grab and collect the bills, along with the Exchange’s security force. The press made much of it and turned it into a major media event. Shortly after, the NYSE spent $20,000 to enclose the gallery with bulletproof glass. The Dow Jones finished down 24.97 points that week, at 894.07. To hear a bunch of mp3 clips featuring Hoffman, click here.

“In the minds of millions of American teenagers, the stock market had just crashed.” —Abbie Hoffman