The 1929 trading day remembered as the first major sell-off before Black Tuesday on Wall Street was Black Thursday.
Black Thursday was October 24, 1929, when heavy selling struck the New York Stock Exchange after weeks of market weakness. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell sharply during the session, while exceptionally high trading volume overwhelmed the exchange’s systems and brokers.
A group of leading bankers later attempted to restore confidence by buying major stocks at above-market prices. The intervention briefly steadied prices, but the market resumed its decline the following week. On October 28, Black Monday brought another severe fall, followed by Black Tuesday on October 29.
The Wall Street Crash was not caused by one event alone. Speculation, buying stocks on margin, uneven economic conditions, and weakening industrial activity all contributed. Black Thursday is sometimes mistakenly treated as the crash’s final day; it actually marked the first dramatic break in the late-1920s boom.