While Thursdays selloff was dramatic, it didnt come close to historys most storied crashes on the Dow, on a percentage basis. In fact, the panic in 1987 and the crash of 1929 still hold all of the top four spots. Here is a breakdown of the darkest days in the 115-year history of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

 

20 Largest Dow Jones Industrial Average Losses (Percentage)

Trade Date Close Net Change Percentage Change
10-19-1987 1738.74 -508.00 -22.61%
10-28-1929 260.64 -38.33 -12.82%
10-29-1929 230.07 -30.57 -11.73%
11-06-1929 232.13 -25.55 -9.92%
12-18-1899 58.27 -5.57 -8.72%
08-12-1932 63.11 -5.79 -8.40%
03-14-1907 76.23 -6.89 -8.29%
10-26-1987 1793.93 -156.83 -8.04%
10-15-2008 8577.91 -733.08 -7.87%
07-21-1933 88.71 -7.55 -7.84%
10-18-1937 125.73 -10.57 -7.75%
12-01-2008 8149.09 -679.95 -7.70%
10-09-2008 8579.19 -678.92 -7.33%
02-01-1917 88.52 -6.91 -7.24%
10-27-1997 7161.14 -554.26 -7.18%
10-05-1932 66.07 -5.09 -7.15%
09-17-2001 8920.70 -684.81 -7.13%
09-24-1931 107.79 -8.20 -7.07%
07-20-1933 96.26 -7.32 -7.07%
09-29-2008 10365.45 -777.68 -6.98%