On what date did the U.S. stock market suffer “Black Tuesday” in the 1929 crash?

Black Tuesday in the 1929 U.S. stock-market crash occurred on October 29, 1929.

The day followed Black Monday, October 28, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell sharply. On Black Tuesday, roughly 16 million shares changed hands on the New York Stock Exchange, overwhelming trading systems and intensifying the panic. The Dow declined about 12%, at that time its largest one-day percentage loss.

The crash did not begin on October 29 alone. Prices had already weakened after the market peaked in September 1929, and heavy speculation, buying on margin, slowing economic growth, and banking weaknesses made the market vulnerable. The collapse helped usher in the Great Depression, although historians generally describe the crash as one important cause rather than the sole cause.

A common mix-up is confusing Black Tuesday with Black Thursday, October 24, the first major panic day of the crash. Black Tuesday is specifically October 29, the day most closely associated with the market’s dramatic capitulation.