Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929, saw the New York Stock Exchange handle a then-record 16.4 million shares.
The session came after Black Thursday on October 24 and Black Monday on October 28. Prices plunged as investors rushed to sell, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost almost 12 percent. The crash marked the dramatic start of a prolonged bear market rather than a single isolated day.
The collapse followed years of heavy speculation, widespread margin buying, unequal wealth distribution, and weakening economic conditions. The Dow eventually reached a low in July 1932, about 89 percent below its September 1929 peak. Black Tuesday is often treated as the crash’s symbolic climax, although the broader downturn unfolded over several days and years.