Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. Many consider it to be the start of the holiday shopping season. While not a federal holiday, several states observe the day after Thanksgiving as a holiday, meaning many state and school employees have the day off. Therefore, the number of potential buyers is high. In fact, since 2005 it has been the busiest shopping day of the year. With retailers extending hours and offers, the Black Friday crowds and chaos show no signs of slowing down. Here's a look at the history and evolution of Black Friday. Name Origin The term Black Friday was first used in the United States to describe a financial crisis in 1869. On September 24, 1869, James Fish and Jay Gould attempted to corner the gold market on the New York Gold Exchange. The first time Black Friday referred to shopping the day after Thanksgiving was in this 1961 Philadelphia public relations newsletter: For downtown merchants nationwide, the biggest shopping days are normally the two following Thanksgiving Day. The resulting traffic jams are a vexing problem for police, and, in Philadelphia, it has become customary for officers to refer to the days after Thanksgiving as Black Friday and Black Saturday. Hardly a stimulus for good business, the problem has been discussed by merchants with their deputy city representative, Abe S. Rosen, one of the most experienced municipal public relations executives in the country. He recommended adopting a positive approach that would convert Black Friday and Black Saturday into Big Friday and Big Saturday. Use of the name was gradual, but in 1975 it appeared in the New York Times: Philadelphia police and bus drivers call it Black Friday – that day every year between...... half the paper.... ..lahssee, Florida. In 2011, a woman used pepper spray on other shoppers, injuring at least 10 people while shopping on Black Friday at a Walmart in Porter Ranch, California. That same year, a man in San Leandro, California, was shot while leaving a Walmart at 1:45 a.m. after doing some Black Friday. Cyber ​​Monday In 2005, Cyber ​​Monday became a term used to refer to the Monday following Black Friday. The term built on a trend over the previous two years in which retailers noticed that many shoppers, too busy to shop over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, were using that Monday to shop online. With the additions and options of Cyber ​​Monday and Black Thursday, perhaps the Black Friday crowds and chaos will be more widespread, causing less competition and deal violence. One thing is for sure: Black Friday continues to be an extremely important and successful day for retailers.