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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It s time for spring
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Have fun storming the castle
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World Rivers Day
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Behold the blood moon
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Over and under the delta
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India Republic Day
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Flowers by the sea
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Composite of photographs from the Apollo 15 mission
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Turning darkness into light
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Women s suffrage at 100
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A ‘circus of chaos’ for Stravinsky
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Infrared Jupiter, erupting Io
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Pont dArcole over the Seine river, Paris, France
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King of the dinosaurs
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Tall, taller, tallest
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National Trails Day
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International Day of Friendship
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Astrotourism at its finest
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What are these creatures?
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Perfect timing
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Happy Halloween!
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World Octopus Day
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American bison, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
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Seven Magic Mountains art installation, Jean Dry Lake, Nevada
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Prince Christian Sound in southern Greenland
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Seitan Limania Beach, Crete
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International Tiger Day
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North Cascades National Park at 50
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Cherry blossoms at the National Mall, Washington, DC
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Honoring our fallen heroes