The Answer:

The 12 stocks that made up the original Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1896 were American Cotton Oil, American Sugar, American Tobacco, Chicago Gas, Distilling & Cattle Feeding, General Electric, Laclede Gas, National Lead, North American, Tennesee Coal & Iron, U.S. Leather preferred, and U.S. Rubber.

Founded by financial news publisher Charles Dow, the average has served as a leading indicator of the stock market's performance for more than a century. The average expanded to 20 stocks in 1916 and 30 in 1928, where it remains today.

General Electric is the only member of the Original 12 that remains on today's list. Read more about the history of the index in Dow 101, and on the Dow Jones Indexes site.

—The Editors