What name was given to the October 29, 1929 collapse in the Wall Street Crash?

Black Tuesday was the name given to the October 29, 1929 collapse in the Wall Street Crash. Panic selling sent approximately 16 million shares through the New York Stock Exchange, a record at the time.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell about 12% that day. Black Tuesday followed Black Thursday on October 24 and Black Monday on October 28, showing that the crash was a sequence of violent trading sessions rather than one isolated event.

The market continued declining after October, and the eventual bottom came in July 1932. The crash damaged household wealth and confidence, but the Great Depression also reflected bank failures, debt deflation, international economic problems, and contraction in production and trade.

The phrase “Black Tuesday” is specific to October 29, 1929 in this context. It is distinct from later market declines that newspapers also labeled with color-based weekday names.