Black Friday (in America)
Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States, where it is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season. Since Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States, Black Friday may be as early as the 23rd and as late as the 29th of November. Black Friday is not an official holiday, but many employers give the day off, increasing the number of potential shoppers. Retailers often decorate for the Christmas season weeks beforehand. Many retailers open very early (typically 5 am or even earlier) and offer doorbuster deals and loss leaders to draw people to their stores. Although Black Friday, as the first shopping day after Thanksgiving, has served as the unofficial beginning of the Christmas season at least since the start of the modern Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, the term "Black Friday" has been traced back only to the 1960s. The term "Black Friday" originated in Philadelphia in reference to the heavy traffic on that day. More recently, merchants and the media have used it instead to refer to the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black (i.e., turning a profit).
The news media frequently refer to Black Friday as the busiest retail shopping day of the year, but this is not always accurate. While it has been one of the busiest days in terms of customer traffic,[1][2] in terms of actual sales volume, from 1993 through 2001 Black Friday was usually the fifth to tenth busiest day.[3] In 2002 and 2004, however, Black Friday ranked second place.[4] The busiest retail shopping day of the year in the United States (in terms of both sales and customer traffic) usually has been the Saturday before Christmas.[5] In 2003 and 2005, however, Black Friday actually did reach first place.[6]
In many cities it is not uncommon to see shoppers lined up hours before stores with big sales open. Once inside, the stores shoppers often rush and grab, as many stores have only a few of the big draw items. Electronics and popular toys are often the most sought-after items and may be sharply discounted. Because of the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, many choose to stay home and avoid the hectic shopping experience. The local media often will cover the event, mentioning how early the shoppers began lining up at various stores and providing video of the shoppers standing in line and later leaving with their purchased items. Traditionally Black Friday sales were intended for those shopping for Christmas gifts. For some particularly popular items, some people shop at these sales in order to get deep discounts on items they can then resell, typically online.
Black Friday (The Movie)
Karloff plays a famous doctor, Dr. Ernest Sovac, whose best friend, a bookish college professor (played by Stanley Ridges), is run down while crossing a street. In order to save his friend's life, Sovac implants part of another man's brain into the professor's. Unfortunately, the other man was a gangster who was involved in the accident. The professor recovers but at times behaves like the gangster, and his whole personality changes. Sovac is horrified but also intrigued, because the gangster has hidden $500,000 USD somewhere in the city. The doctor continues to treat his friend and, when the professor is under the influence of the gangster's brain, Karloff attempts to have the man lead him to the fortune. Bela Lugosi plays a gangster also trying to get his hands on the cash.
Black Friday (in Iran)
Black Friday was named after the protests that occurred on September 8, 1978 (17 Shahrivar 1357 AP) in Zhaleh Square Tehran, Iran. The Iranian Government declared martial law in response to protests against the Shah's Rule. According to the anti-government sources, the military of Iran used deadly force, including tanks and helicopter gunships, to break up the largely peaceful demonstrators. Unsubstantiated reports at the time put the death toll at 88 to 89 demonstrators (including three women) [1] [2] [3] killed.
The clerical leadership announced that "thousands have been massacred by Zionist troops."[4] Official accounts dealing with the history of the Islamic revolution write of "15,000 dead and wounded". However the non-Persian-speaking troops were later reported to have been Iranian ethnic Kurds, not Israelis, who had been fired on by snipers. According to Emad al-Din Baghi, a former researcher at the Martyrs Foundation (Bonyad Shahid) hired "to make sense of the data" on those killed fighting the Shah's regime, 64 killed were killed in Jaleh Square on Black Friday, among them two females – one woman and a young girl. On the same day in other parts of the capital a total of 24 people died in clashes with martial law forces, among them one female. [5] In the mean time, the appearance of government brutality alienated much of the rest of the Iranian people as well as the Shah's allies abroad.
Protests continued for another four months. A general strike in October shut down the petroleum industry that was essential to the administration's survival, "sealing the Shah's fate".[6] Support for the Shah, in Iran and abroad, dissolved clearing the way for the Iranian Revolution, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, which saw the abolition of the monarchy less than a year later.
Black Friday (in Scotland)
The 1919 Battle of George Square, also known as Bloody Friday and Black Friday, was one of the worst riots on the streets of Glasgow, Scotland, which took place on Friday, 31 January 1919 [1]. The dispute revolved around a campaign for shorter working hours, backed by widespread strike action. Clashes between police and protesters broke out, and led to the British Government sending soldiers to the city to prevent any further gatherings due to their fear of a left-wing workers revolution, described as a 'Bolshevist uprising' by the then Secretary of State for Scotland [2], as had happened the previous year in the 1917 Russian Revolution and was occurring in Germany whilst the 'Forty Hours' strike unfolded .
Black Friday (The Falklands)
On April 2, 1982 Argentine forces mounted amphibious landings of the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas), following the civilian occupation of South Georgia on March 19, before the Falklands War began. The invasion involved initial defence organised by the Falkland Islands' Governor Sir Rex Hunt giving command to Major Mike Norman of the Royal Marines, the landing of Lieutenant-Commander Guillermo Sanchez-Sabarots' Amphibious Commandos Group, the attack on Moody Brook barracks, the engagement between the troops of Hugo Santillan and Bill Trollope at Stanley, and the battle and final surrender of Government House.
Black Friday (The other movie)
Black Friday is a film based on the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai which many believe were organised as retaliation for the Bombay riots which left over 1,500 people dead. The movie was featured at the Locarno Film Festival and received widespread praise.
Black Friday was not released in Indian theaters for 2 years, as on the eve of its release, a petition seeking a stay was filed by the people named in the film, the alleged perpetrators of the crime. Since the verdict was still pending for the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, they argued that the film would bias public opinion against them and affect the courts decision. An argument that was ultimately upheld by the court [1].
