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How the day after Thanksgiving came to be known as Black Friday

This Friday, the Friday after Thanksgiving, is ubiquitously referred to as “Black Friday” by retailers, consumers and the media. We wondered: What does the term mean? And where’d it come from? Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

The 24th of September 1869: Panic on 'Black Friday' in the New York Gold Room.
The 24th of September 1869: Panic on 'Black Friday' in the New York Gold Room.
Photo by Three Lions/Getty Images

This Friday, the Friday after Thanksgiving, is ubiquitously referred to as “Black Friday” by retailers, consumers and the media. We wondered: What does the term mean? And where’d it come from?

Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

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How the day after Thanksgiving came to be known as Black Friday