May 17

In 1792, twenty-four stockbrokers gathered under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street to sign the Buttonwood Agreement, forming the New York Stock Exchange. This pact set commission rates and created rules for trading securities, laying the groundwork for organized market operations. Over the centuries, the NYSE evolved into the world’s largest stock exchange by market capitalization. It introduced innovations such as the ticker tape and electronic trading platforms. The NYSE has remained at the heart of global finance, influencing economic activity worldwide.

On May 17, 1977, video game pioneer Nolan Bushnell, co-founder of Atari, launched the first Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Time Theatre in San Jose, California. The innovative concept blended an indoor amusement venue featuring Atari arcade games with a pizza restaurant and animatronic entertainment. Chuck E. Cheese, a costumed mouse character, led live shows designed to entertain children and families. The venue introduced a new model of family-oriented dining and gaming, laying groundwork for a multimillion-dollar entertainment chain. The success in San Jose prompted rapid expansion across the United States. Chuck E. Cheese’s early adoption of interactive entertainment prefigured modern family leisure centers and underscored the growing cultural influence of video games.