Skip to Content

Pop Quiz: A Brief and Bizarre History of Black Friday

Filed under: Shopping, Weird & Wonderful

Black Friday 2-day saleOnce upon a time, Black Friday was a magical, mysterious night, a yearly tradition that landed somewhere between trick-or-treating and midnight mass. For shoppers with a mercenary bent, it offered a hint of danger, the thrill of the hunt, and the chance to save a few bucks on Christmas shopping.

Over the last few years, however, the late-night lineup to the shopping season has transformed from a playfully combative evening into a full-bore retail hellscape, a "Mad Shopper Beyond Thunderdome" free-for-all, complete with cuts, scrapes, stabbings, arrests and the occasional fatality.

Tales of retail danger notwithstanding, Black Friday doesn't seem to be going anywhere. As we head into this year's bout of retail combat, we wanted to reflect on where it came from, and recap some of the worst tales to come out of the annual shopping frenzy. With that in mind, we offer our Black Friday Pop Quiz. Think you're an expert on America's biggest retail holiday? Take a peek!

POP QUIZ: BLACK FRIDAY'S DARKER SIDE


Add a Comment

*0 / 3000 Character Maximum
Compare Personal
Finance Rates

Find Your Rate

Advertisement
  • All
  • Mortgages
  • Credit Cards
  • Savings
Enter Mortgage Value
Company
Monthly
Rate
Choose Card Type
Company
Reward Return
Rate
MBNA
2.05%
$1,500.33
Best Rate
2.05%
$1,500.33
Best Rate
2.05%
$1,500.33
Choose Savings Type
Company
Savings
Rate

Most Commented