Many, celebrities, non-celebrities, movie stars and professional athletes as the platform to make a public appearance, often seek New York Stock Exchange. It is a place to deliver a message either to the Wall Street or around the world. The bell ringers play a prominent role to mark the beginning of the day and initiation of transaction. For 150 years the trading starts at 9:30 am sharp and the floor becomes a hot spot for conveying one’s point of view.
Ringing the bell for the first time for many, of the world’s most prestigious commercial floor, is a memorable experience. Nick Cannon, actor, producer and comedian acquired the prestige of ringing the bell on July 23 to promote famous TV show America’s Got Talent. Of the remarkable time he had spend there the thing that he remembers the most is the urn gifted by Russian Czar Nicholas II. It adds prestige to the boardroom. The urn was given on underwriting of a $1 billion bond by several firms. This bond helped to finance a railway system to Russia. Before the eruption of the cable television network and social media, most people never had a glimpse of the exclusively royal artifact. Art Cashin comments that the boardroom is seen as a place of dignity. Hence, taking photos from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange was prohibited.
10-year-old Ross was the first one to ring the ball in the year 1956. He was winner of the show “The Big Surprise”, which was based on the questions about the exchange operations. Ronald Reagan was the first President to have rung the bell and add to glory. Before 1980’s the ritual of ringing the bell was not seemed as a dignified act. With Ronald’s appearance in the exchange during the trading hours added significance to it. Henceforth, people started to compete for it. Particularly, at the time of bull market, that historically lasted for 13 consecutive years from the year 1987.
Eminent Hollywood stars like Robert Downey Jr. and Bradley Cooper have all been the bell ringers of the exchange in the past. The trading floor was even visited by the women gymnastic team after their glorious victory in the London Olympic Games of 2012. To add more to the list, one can mention the names of champion of the yearly Westminster Dog Show, human rights advocate Desmond Tutu, teen star Robert Pattinson and CEO of General Motors.
Ricciardi in an interview says that choosing a bell ringer is very important. It should be a person to symbolize achievement, success and recognition. Therefore, it was important to bring to the floor not just celebrated personalities but also the common workers for their heroic achievement. After the September 11, terrorist attack firefighter and police officers were invited to do the honor
