Some people think of Thanksgiving as being a wholesome holiday, where you stay home with family all day, eat turkey, and enjoy the holiday festivities on TV. Other people think of Turkey Day as a barrier; the only thing standing between them and those Black Friday deals. Both are wonderful visions of the holiday. However, if you relate more to the latter, do you know the history of the best shopping day of the year? 

First, let's dispel some rumors. A myth has surfaced claiming that Black Friday exists because of 1800s Plantation Owners being able to sell slaves at at discounted price, the day after Thanksgiving. This is a terrible lie, and is not true. Another misconception is that it is based off of the U.S. Gold Market crash of 1869. While that day was known as Black Friday, is did not grant any tradition to the current holiday.

Black Friday originated in Philadelphia, during the 1950's. The Army-Navy football game would be held there, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so the night before,  tourists would rush the city. Businesses realized how much opportunity there was for sales, so in 1961 they called the day "Big Friday," and began offering deals to lure in the tourists.

This tradition continued in Philadelphia until the 1980s, when retailers across the rest of the country wanted the same turn out. Big Friday changed to Black Friday, because bad luck and a year of losses in the red, could be changed by this one day, bringing the profit back into the black. Black Friday exists to this day, even overlapping into late-night Thanksgiving deals.

Thanksgiving could be a holiday spent stuffing your face. Or, it could be spent writing a Black Friday shopping list. Either way, we here at GJHS would like to wish you a happy Thanksgiving! (And, if you're shopping, good luck!)