What is the lowest "point"" in the S&P 500 index since about 1985 or ever? and the highest ?

Answer 1

In January 1950, the index stood at 16.66
In January 1985, the index stood at 165.37

Prior to 1957, the primary S&P stock market index consisted of only 90 companies, known as the S&P 90, and was published on a daily basis. A broader index of 423 companies was also published weekly. On March 4, 1957, a broad, real-time stock market index, the S&P 500 was introduced. This introduction was possible thanks to advances in computers, which could now calculate and disseminate the index in real-time. (See Detailed Timeline.)

The index reached an all-time closing high of 1,527.46, and intra-day high of 1,553.11, on March 24, 2000. In the most recent bear market, the index lost approximately 50% of its value, falling below 800 several times in July and October of 2002. During the week of October 2, 2006, when the popular Dow Jones Industrial Average set new record highs for the first time in nearly seven years, the S&P 500 did reach 5 3/4-year highs but remained 12% below its all-time closing high. This discrepancy demonstrates the breadth of the S&P 500, which includes NASDAQ growth stocks (inflated in 2000 by the dotcom bubble) along with less volatile "old-economy" stocks of the DJIA.

This data is available for download to a spreadsheet here
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=%5EGSPC

You will have to use the Dow if you wish to go back any further, then you can go back all the way to the 18th century if you wish.