Did you know that the term “Black Friday” dates back to the 1960s. The Philadelphia Police Department named the day. Originally, it was a rather derogatory term used to describe the chaos that ensued when shoppers took to the stores. Used in comparison to the stress and disorderly behavior of Black Tuesday (the 1929 stock-market crash), police were overwhelmed with traffic jams and mob scenes at stores in downtown Philadelphia on the day after Thanksgiving. The term starting getting wider use by the mid 1970s, still largely around Philadelphia, as police and bus drivers were consistently quoted using their pet term to refer to all the headaches the day gave them.By the early 1980’s that the term began to circulate more widely, but many retailers objected to its negative connotations. It was around that time that the “black ink” theory emerged. Referencing the days when accountants kept the books by hand, red ink was used to represent negative figures, and black ink was used to represent profitable figures. Generalizing that retailers make most of their profits during the Christmas season, the term Black Friday was twisted to fit this scenario and paint the day in a more joyous light. It was only in 2002 that the term beget such widespread use, that it has nearly become a secondary November holiday for retailers. Sales, specials, and limited deals are planned well in advance for newly-traditional retail holiday.
Interesting side note: In 1939, America was suffering through the great depression. Retail shops would have liked to have a longer shopping season, but no store wanted to break the unwritten rule and be the one to start advertising before Thanksgiving. So to accomdate, President Roosevelt moved the date for Thanksgiving up a week!
News From Around The Country
Nicole Kidman was recently in New York City to promote her new movie Australia , so while in the Big Apple, she took advantage of her role as the ambassador for the UN Development Fund for Women. She presented UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with the signatures of more than 5 million people worldwide, including government ministers from more than 60 countries, who had joined a public awareness campaign to fight violence against women.
Field and Stream magazine has named Miranda Lambert "Hero of the Year" in the December ‘08/January ’09 issue. Miranda was cited as a hunter who shares her love of hunting in her music, and for donating game meat to Hunters for the Hungry. She shares the honor with golfer Boo Weekly, actresses Eliza Dushku and Emma Watson, actor Tom Felton and New York senator Charles Schumer. CMT.com reports the publication also named California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as its villain of the year, for his legal restrictions on fishing and hunting.
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