Were you among the crowds camped outside retail stores early this morning, hoping to cash in on Black Friday deals? Perhaps you can even see yourself reflected in these Christmas ornaments hanging in New York City’s Macy’s department store. The day after Thanksgiving is big business for retailers. Last year, 174 million Americans shopped on Black Friday weekend, according to the National Retail Federation, presumably moving retailers’ balance sheets from red (losses) to black (profits). But the term ‘Black Friday’ has a darker history. It was originally used to describe a financial crisis in 1869, and later adopted by Philadelphia police to describe post-Thanksgiving chaos at department stores in their city. Retailers later co-opted the phrase ‘Black Friday,’ giving it more positive connotations–a shift toward profitability at the start of the crucial holiday shopping season.
Let the holiday shopping commence
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Flamingos of the Chilean desert
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Waimea Canyon and Waipoo Falls, Kauai, Hawaii
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Ministry of Fun Santa School
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A valley view at 9,000 feet
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Lunar eclipse
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Mada in Saleh, Saudi Arabia
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Winter in England s Cotswolds
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Swimming into the season
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‘You should see the one that got away!’
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Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
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Celebrating Pie Day is as easy as, well…
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Classical music takes center stage
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Juniper Springs, Florida
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Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, England
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Wind Cave National Park celebrates 120 years
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Happy Boxing Day!
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An unlikely friendship in the wild
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Take the Stairs Day
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Let the games begin
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The persistence of Perito Moreno
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International Day for Monuments and Sites
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Birds and bees, and why they re so important
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Here we honor the women who ve served
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Walton Lighthouse, Santa Cruz, California
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World Penguin Day
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Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
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National Park Week: Everglades National Park
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World Bee Day
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Ancient groves in Australia
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The mighty, mighty mushroom