The Dow just hit 50,000. See the names that have come and gone over the decades

The Dow Jones Industrial Average broke through another key milestone, the latest in a roughly 130-year ascent that's involved an ever-changing group of stocks.

The closely followed average on Friday eclipsed the 50,000 marker for the first time in its history. But the index today looks far different than it did a century ago — or even just a few decades earlier.

The average was created by Charles Dow in 1896 with just 12 industrial stocks. Paired with the Dow Jones Transportation Average, the two were collectively meant to offer a gauge for the broader economy. After eight stocks were added in 1916, followed by another 10 in 1928, the Dow has stood for nearly a century at 30 members.

To reflect the country's industrial presence, companies have been added and removed over time as the economy has evolved. Take technology, for example. There are now seven well-known stocks from the sector in the index, reflecting its growing prominence in the equity market and corporate world.

A committee governs stock selection for the esteemed group of blue-chip stocks, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices, the S&P Global-owned company that operates the benchmark. Though it has no defined rules, the group typically analyzes a firm's reputation, growth over a long period and relevance to investors. A sector's representation in the Dow compared with its place in the broader market can also play a role.

The sole caveat: No utility or transportation stocks are included, given the existence of the Dow Jones Utility Average and Transportation Average.

With the Dow hitting its latest big milestone, CNBC looked back at which companies comprised the index at previous important moments.

It may be hard to imagine given the latest achievement, but the Dow traded below 1,000 until the early 1970s.

The index broke above the level on Nov. 14, 1972 — a little over a week after Richard Nixon won the presidential election. It finished that year up more than 14%.

During the year with "Rocket Man" and "Lean on Me" topping music charts and "The Godfather" in theaters, industrial and material stocks still made up a sizable chunk of the index. Some names like General Foods and International Harvester have been acquired or no longer exist. A portion of the companies that originally made up this group, such as Chevron and Procter & Gamble, are still members.

It wasn't until the mid-1990s that the Dow would crack 5,000.

This level was reached on Nov. 20, 1995. But the Dow didn't officially close above it until Nov. 21 of that year.

With a gain of more than 33%, 1995 marked the Dow's best year since 1975 and remains its sixth best in history. By the time this milestone was reached, the stock market crash of 1987 known as Black Monday was almost a decade in the past.

In 1995, "Clueless" and "Toy Story" were capturing the attention of American youth, and Oasis had just released the hit song "Wonderwall." By this time, with the addition of stocks like McDonald's and Walt Disney, several of the members still in the index today held membership.

Within just four years, the Dow hit another key price: 10,000.

The average first touched the level on March 16, 1999. However, it took several days of choppy trading for the index to close a session above 10,000, on March 29, 1999.

Americans were preparing for the turn of the century while wondering if the "Y2K" glitch would materialize. The book version of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" had been released.

March 1999 was also part of the peak of the dot-com bubble, which would give way to a major market crash starting just about one year later. Still, tech had not yet emerged as a major part of the Dow, with key names like Apple and Microsoft yet to earn a spot. And Alcoa, Sears and Union Carbide were still members.

The market would have to overcome two major setbacks before the Dow reached 20,000.

The dot-com bubble and the global financial crisis defined much of the 2000s from an economic perspective. But after climbing for much of the early to mid-2010s, the index hit the marker on Jan. 25, 2017.

That record came just days after Donald Trump was inaugurated for his first term as president. The Dow would go on to finish the year with a return of more than 25%.

About five out of every six stocks in the Dow are still in it slightly more than seven years later. By 2017, several important tech names had been added, in addition to stocks like Visa, Travelers and Nike that are still around today.

It would take few years for the Dow to officially add on 10,000 more points.

The Dow first broke 30,000 on Nov. 24, 2020, as the pandemic defined everyday life in America. Earlier that month, Joe Biden had been elected to replace Trump as president. The Dow finished 2020 with an advance of more than 7%.

By 2020, as many workers and students were sent home for health precautions, tech had only grown in its relevance within the index. One of the latest editions was cloud software stock Salesforce. It replaced Exxon Mobil, which had been in the index for more than nine decades.

Less than four years after that, in May 2024, the Dow added another feather in its cap by hitting 40,000.

Of course, those years weren't all smooth sailing. In 2022, the Dow saw its worst year since 2008, though 2023's rebound allowed the index to erase those losses. The index rose nearly 13% in 2024.

Much of that rally was tied to investor excitement around artificial intelligence. In this vein, the megacap technology stocks dubbed the "Magnificent Seven" was credited with an outsize influence as the market climbed to new heights. One of those members — e-commerce giant Amazon — got swapped in for Walgreens in early 2024.

The Dow needed less than two years to breach the 50,000 level.

The Dow's latest milestone exemplifies how stock investors have continued climbing walls of worry. In early April 2025, stocks initially cratered after Trump rolled out his plan for broad and steep tariffs. Just this week, technology stocks have faced significant pressure amid concerns about corporations' AI spending and the potential to hurt sectors like software.

Friday's breakthrough came amid a major rally for the Dow, with the index climbing more than 1,200 points in the session.

Chipmaker Nvidia took the place of Intel in late 2024, a move widely seen as reflective of the company's leadership within AI. Sherwin-Williams was also added to the index at that time, replacing Dow Inc.