Black Friday: Where Did It Come From and Why the Name?

We all know Black Friday as the shopping extravaganza that follows Thanksgiving—but have you ever wondered why it’s called “Black Friday” and how it all began?

Surprisingly, the very first “Black Friday” had nothing to do with holiday deals. Back in 1869, the U.S. gold market collapsed after financiers Jay Gould and Jim Fisk tried to corner the market. Their scheme drove gold prices sky-high—until the government intervened, flooding the market with gold. Prices plummeted, investors went bankrupt, and Gould and Fisk walked away richer. That infamous Friday earned its dark name.

Fast forward to the 1950s and ’60s in Philadelphia: the day after Thanksgiving brought massive crowds for the annual Army-Navy football game. Streets were jammed, stores were packed, and shoplifting spiked. Local police, stuck working long hours with no time off, dubbed it “Black Friday.” Not exactly festive!

So how did the term become synonymous with shopping? Retailers eventually embraced it. For most of the year, their books were “in the red”—operating at a loss due to overhead costs and slower sales. The surge of holiday spending pushed them “into the black,” or profitability.

Why “Black” and “Red”? In traditional accounting, financial records were handwritten in ledgers. Losses were marked in red ink to signal negative balances, while profits were recorded in black ink to indicate positive balances. This color coding made it easy to see at a glance whether a business was losing or making money. For many retailers, Black Friday was the turning point—the day they finally switched from red to black. And that’s how the name stuck.

Today, Black Friday is all about big deals, smart shopping, and a boost for the economy. So, grab those discounts, enjoy the holiday spirit, and happy shopping!