Black Friday hasn’t always referred to killer sales—the term’s origin is far more sinister.
The first Black Friday had nothing to do with shopping—and it wasn’t related to the holidays. On September 24, 1869, two shady Wall Street investors drove up the price of gold and caused a drastic stock market crash. Commodity prices plunged 50%, leading people to deem the day Black Friday.1
Today, most people think it refers to the profits stores make on this record-breaking consumer holiday. When companies are profitable, they’re “in the black.” This use of the term became popular in the ‘80s, and it’s stuck ever since.