Whether it’s bricks or clicks, the day after Thanksgiving is arguably the official start to the Christmas season. Although Black Friday seems to be a modern phenomenon, it actually dates back to the late 1800’s.
Jay Gould, a railroad magnate and financial speculator, and James Fisk, an American stockbroker and corporate executive, were the first people to participate in “Black Friday”. On Friday, September 24th 1869, these two individuals “turned Wall Street inside out”, as the Washington Post said. Following the Civil War, money was mostly backed by credit. Gould and Fisk took this opportunity and to take advantage of the seemingly diminishing gold market. These two men slowly hoarded large amounts of gold as its cash value increased. This was referred to as “The Boom and Bust”. The government caught onto theses men and their plan, so they turned around and sold the gold and made a fortune. Sneaky, sneaky! Now, the term “Black Friday” is still used today to demonstrate high prices and selling for a profit.
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Jay_Gould
Other modern Thanksgiving traditions also started just over a century ago. In 1905,Toronto’s Eaton store hosted the first Thanksgiving day parade. As the years progressed, so did the presentation. In 1913 there were eight reindeer pulling Santa on his Sleigh, and by 1916 there were seven different floats. In 1924, the parade inspired the Macey’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. After this, there was a gentleman’s deal to not advertise for the Christmas until after the parade. During this time, Thanksgiving was always the last Thursday of the month, which means it could fall within the fifth week of the month. During the great depression, retailers and business owners complained that they would go bankrupt if they had to wait that long to start selling Holiday merchandise, so they settled with “Franksgiving” which was the fourth Thursday of the month, named after Franklin D. Roosevelt. This meant some companies were required to give people another day off for the holiday. Tis’ the season, I guess! After 1939’s “Franksgiving” trial and error, the official holiday is on the third Thursday of November, as it is still today.
And almost a century later, Gould and Fisk’s accidental Thanksgiving tradition took a new form. Starting in the 1950’s, many people would play hookie on the Friday after Thanksgiving in order to get things for the people they’re grateful for. Or more like they go to buy more after they appreciate everything they already have. Instead of employers rolling their eyes year after year, Thursday and Friday became acceptable days to let employees off for a break, besides retail employees of course. The term “Black Friday” was also made known by the Philadelphia Police Department because of the color shown for traffic jams and crowds from downtown shopping.
This time of year is rich with tradition and few things are better than watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade while prepping or eating a delicious meal with family and loved ones. Like Gould and Fisk, this is the time to get around the system and find the best deals for the people you love with the people you love!