The Dow Jones Industrial Average first closed above 1,000 in 1972.
The milestone came on November 14, 1972, when the Dow finished at 1,003.16. That date matters because the index had briefly moved above 1,000 during intraday trading in January 1966, but it fell back before the closing bell. A closing milestone therefore occurred nearly seven years later.
The achievement arrived during a short relief rally within a difficult market era. The early 1970s were marked by inflation, economic uncertainty, and geopolitical tension. After reaching a peak of 1,051.70 in January 1973, the Dow suffered heavily during the 1973–1974 bear market and closed as low as 577.60 in December 1974.
A common mix-up is confusing the first intraday crossing with the first close above 1,000. Another nearby milestone is 1965, when the Dow ended the year at 969.26—close to, but still below, four digits.