The House of Representatives passed the $700 billion bailout bill to help keep the U.S. economy afloat and shore up the nation's stressed out financial industry. The 263-171 vote by the House then sent the Senate-passed version to the White House, where President Bush signed it into law. It is the biggest economic bailout since the Great Depression.

Many members of the House voted for the bill even though they opposed it earlier this week. That vote caused Wall Street to plummet. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it a vote for "Mr. and Mrs. Jones on Main Street."

For more on the bailout vote:
- see this Wall Street Journal article