The milestone was passed less than a year after clearing 5,000 and just days after the sixth anniversary of the start of the bull market. For many on Wall Street, that long-running rally was believed to be over a mere three months ago.
But the market bounced back from its summer slump on new hopes for continued economic growth with stable inflation.
At the closing bell on the New York Stock Exchange, the index of 30 blue-chip stocks was up 40.62 at 6,010.00.
Although the Dow industrials had jumped above 6,000 last Monday and again on Tuesday, it was the first close above that level.
Trading slips were tossed into the air from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange as Anne Allen, the Big Board's vice president for operations, rang the bell to close trading at 4 p.m. EDT. Traders celebrated by whistling and exchange officials shook hands on a balcony overlooking the floor.
Many stock market watchers date the start of the latest bull market at Oct. 11, 1990, when the Dow ended a dry spell and began rising from 2,365.10. It closed above 5,000 on Nov. 21, 1995 and rose to 5,778.00 on May 22, before rough sailing set in.
By July 16, the Dow tumbled as low as 5,182.31 during trading, a drop of 10 percent from its May peak. In that volatile session, the average plunged more than 167 points and then rebounded to close with a gain of just over nine.
By mid-September, Wall Street's best-known indicator was setting new records.
Today's close lifted several stock measures to new highs.
Earlier, the Dow of 30 big U.S. companies rose as high as 6,020.81, breaking its previous intraday record at 6,010.37, set early last week.
The Dow had crossed the 6,000-mark for the first time last Monday, and did it again the following day, but retreated each time amid nervousness about the onslaught of third-quarter earnings reports his week and next.
"This is a continuation of the good lift we saw on Friday," said Alfred E. Goldman, vice president of A.G. Edwards & Sons in St. Louis, noting that the broad market didn't perform as well as the Dow, which benefited from the lack of selling pressure on a holiday. "The question at these lofty levels, after the size and rapidity of our advance, is 'Do we have enough momentum to take us higher?' The jury is still out."
The Standard & Poor's 500 list and the Nasdaq composite index also moved back in record territory, padding Friday's rebound from several days of profit-taking on the market's rapid ascent.
Advancers outnumbered decliners by a slim 12-to-11 margin on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,200 up, 1,100 down and 940 unchanged.
NYSE volume totaled 322.00 million shares, vs. 395.93 million in Friday's session.
The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index rose 2.88 to 703.54, edging last Monday's record finish at 703.34. The NYSE's composite index rose 1.34 to 374.23, about half a point shy of a new high.
The Nasdaq composite index rose 1,256.36, beating last Monday's record close at 1,250.87. The American Stock Exchange index fell 1.08 to 579.33.
Starting the earnings-heavy week on a positive note, Chrysler reported that it nearly doubled its third-quarter profits, soundly beating expectations. The strong showing bolstered hopes for Ford and General Motors, which report later in the week.
The bond market, was closed in observance of Columbus Day.