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History of Black Friday
November 27, 2025 at 03:40 PM EST
By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Dan Rupp
Black Friday is nigh, the time of year when shoppers flood stores and grab the best deals, but what is the real origin story of this post-Thanksgiving “holiday?”
While most believe Black Friday got its name from retailers moved from the red (losses) to the black (profits) for the year, this is not entirely true. The Black Friday we are aware of today actually took root in the 1950s in Philadelphia. Every Friday after Thanksgiving and before the annual Saturday Army-Navy football game, holiday shoppers would flood the city and cause chaos, stressing the police department. Police officers nicknamed the day Black Friday for the craziness that unfolded that day each year.
By the early 1960s, Black Friday received widespread recognition across the Philadelphia area, but the rest of the nation had not caught on. It wasn’t until the late 1980s when Black Friday became well known across the nation and retailers used the day to promote big sales to earn a profit for the year.
For most, the weather should be calm for shoppers hitting the stores this year across the West, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. However, a major weather system will bring snow to the north-central U.S., while rain and thunderstorms soak the central and southern Plains.
Source: History.com
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Story Image: Pixabay.com
While most believe Black Friday got its name from retailers moved from the red (losses) to the black (profits) for the year, this is not entirely true. The Black Friday we are aware of today actually took root in the 1950s in Philadelphia. Every Friday after Thanksgiving and before the annual Saturday Army-Navy football game, holiday shoppers would flood the city and cause chaos, stressing the police department. Police officers nicknamed the day Black Friday for the craziness that unfolded that day each year.
By the early 1960s, Black Friday received widespread recognition across the Philadelphia area, but the rest of the nation had not caught on. It wasn’t until the late 1980s when Black Friday became well known across the nation and retailers used the day to promote big sales to earn a profit for the year.
For most, the weather should be calm for shoppers hitting the stores this year across the West, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. However, a major weather system will bring snow to the north-central U.S., while rain and thunderstorms soak the central and southern Plains.
Source: History.com
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Story Image: Pixabay.com