The Wall Street Crash that began on Black Tuesday, October 29, occurred in 1929.
The crash followed a period of rapidly rising U.S. share prices during the 1920s. Many buyers purchased stocks on margin, borrowing money and relying on continued price increases. When confidence weakened, investors rushed to sell, accelerating the decline.
October 24, 1929, is known as Black Thursday, while October 28 and October 29 brought especially severe selling. The collapse did not by itself cause every hardship of the Great Depression, but it became its most famous financial symbol and helped deepen economic distress.
A common mix-up is treating Black Tuesday as the entire crash. It was the most remembered single trading day, but the market continued falling after October 1929 and did not reach its major low until July 1932.