Direct Line Blog

The term "Black Friday" has evolved over the centuries

Ever wonder where “Black Friday” came from? According to the NY Times, the term was first used in 1869 to describe a crash after an inflated gold market spike pushed by financiers Jay Gould and James Fisk. Then in the mid 60s, the term was coined as we use it today, to describe the surges of shoppers in the mall the day after Thanksgiving.

For more on the last 30 years of retail, check out our 30th anniversary issue, which came out today. You can read about the origins of e-commerce and the banner ad, as well as check out the legends of direct marketing…


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