Black Friday began as a term for financial crisis in 1869 but evolved into the post‑Thanksgiving shopping frenzy we know today.

The first recorded use of “Black Friday” referred not to shopping, but to the U.S. gold market crash on September 24, 1869, when financiers Jay Gould and Jim Fisk attempted to corner the gold market, causing economic chaos.

Decades later, in the 1950s and 1960s, police in Philadelphia used “Black Friday” to describe the chaotic crowds and traffic that flooded the city the day after Thanksgiving, as shoppers and tourists arrived for the Army–Navy football game.

Retailers disliked the negative connotation, and some tried to rebrand it as “Big Friday.” However, the name stuck.

By the 1980s, marketers reshaped the meaning: “Black Friday” came to symbolize the point when stores moved from operating “in the red” (losses) to “in the black” (profits) thanks to holiday shopping.

This shift transformed the day into a national shopping tradition, with retailers offering steep discounts to kick off the holiday season.

While originally American, Black Friday has spread worldwide. Countries like now observe it, often adapting the concept to local culture.

In Mexico, for example, a similar event called “El Buen Fin” (“The Good Weekend”) takes place.

The rise of online shopping brought new traditions: Cyber Monday (launched in 2005) and Small Business Saturday.

Today, Black Friday is less about one day of discounts and more about extended sales events, often starting weeks before Thanksgiving.

 In conclusion, Black Friday’s journey runs from a 19th‑century financial disaster to Philadelphia’s traffic nightmare, to a global shopping phenomenon that now blends in‑store chaos with digital deals.