On July 8, 1889, readers could purchase the first edition of The Wall Street Journal for just two cents. Founded by Charles Dow, Edward Jones, and Charles Bergstresser, the four‑page daily grew out of the founders’ earlier Dow Jones “flimsies” — handwritten carbon‑copy bulletins delivered by messengers to traders who needed reliable financial information.
The new newspaper formalized that service into a printed publication committed to factual, unbiased reporting at a time when market news was often unreliable. Its early issues distilled the same trustworthy price data and financial developments that had made the flimsies indispensable on Wall Street, establishing the Journal’s reputation for accuracy from its very first day.
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