Which 1929 U.S. stock-market crash began with Black Thursday and Black Tuesday on Wall Street?

The 1929 U.S. stock-market crash was the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

The crash followed a spectacular rise in share prices during the 1920s. The Dow Jones Industrial Average reached a peak on September 3, 1929, then weakened as investors became concerned about speculation, debt, and slowing economic activity.

Selling intensified on October 24, known as Black Thursday, and again on October 28 and October 29, known as Black Monday and Black Tuesday. On Black Tuesday, approximately 16 million shares changed hands on the New York Stock Exchange, then a record.

The crash did not single-handedly cause the Great Depression, but it severely damaged confidence and wealth. Bank failures, falling production, unemployment, and collapsing international trade deepened the worldwide economic crisis. A common mix-up is treating the crash and the Great Depression as identical: the crash was a market event, while the depression was the broader, prolonged economic downturn.