Q: What is Black Friday, and how did its name come about? — Bob Collins, East Point
A: Black Friday, which is the day after Thanksgiving, is the traditional start to the Christmas shopping season, although more stores are opening on Thanksgiving. The Philadelphia Police Department is credited with coining the phrase in the late 1950s or early 1960s, according to a 1994 article in The Philadelphia Inquirer. Shoppers and football fans in town for the annual game between Army and Navy would flood the downtown area on the day after Thanksgiving, causing massive traffic jams and packing businesses. "The stores were just too crowded, the streets were crowded, the buses and the police were just on overcall and extra duty," retail scholar Michael Lisicky told CBS Philly in 2011. Philadelphia police originally tried to rename "Black Friday" as "Big Friday," but former Inquirer reporter Joseph P. Barrett wrote: "(We) held our ground, and once more said it was 'Black Friday.' And of course we used it year after year. Then television picked it up."
Q: Some TV news and other programs have been showing the number sign (#) before some captions. What is the significance? — Roy Graham, Sandy Springs
A: The "#" symbol, or hashtag on the social networking site Twitter, is a way to categorize a "relevant keyword or phrase" when people send tweets on Twitter. Users can click on a word or phrase that's been hashtagged, and that will take them to other messages that include the same word or phrase.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
About the Author
