Which day marked the first major selling wave of the 1929 Wall Street Crash?

Black Thursday marked the first major selling wave of the 1929 Wall Street Crash.

The term refers to Thursday, October 24, 1929, when heavy selling sent the New York Stock Exchange into turmoil. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 11% at the opening, and trading volume reached a then-record level. A group of leading bankers later bought shares to calm the market, helping the Dow recover much of its intraday loss by the close.

The apparent recovery did not end the crisis. Selling resumed on the following Monday and intensified on Black Tuesday, October 29. Black Tuesday is often remembered as the crash’s most famous day, but Black Thursday is commonly treated as the first major breakdown in the sequence.

The 1929 crash did not by itself cause the entire Great Depression. It was part of a wider economic collapse involving bank failures, falling investment, deflation, and reduced consumer demand. The crash did, however, sharply damage confidence and became its defining financial symbol.