Black Friday and Other Black Days

On the 14th day of April, 1360 (Easter Monday), Edward III. of England, with his host, lay before the city of Paris. This day was so dark and cold, and the air so full of mist and hail, that a large number of the men died on their horses. Hence, according to Stowe's Chronicles, the day has ever since been called "Black Monday." Launcelot says: "It was not for nothing that my nose fell a-bleeding on Black Monday last at six o'clock i' the morning."--Shakespeare, "Merchant of Venice." "Black Thursday" is the name given in Australia to Thursday, February 6th, 1851, when there raged over an immense area of that continent the most terrible bush fire ever known. The loss of life, and the destruction of farming stock, was enormous. "Black Friday" commemorates two events in England; Dec. 6th, 1745, when the news reached London that the Pretender had arrived at Derby, and May 11th, 1866, when the failure of Overand, Gurney & Co. brought on a most disastrous financial panic. In America the "Black Friday" was Sept. 25th, 1869, when in New York and other cities the wild speculation in gold culminated in a crash that swept thousands of firms and individuals into bankruptcy. "Black Saturday" is the name applied in Scotland to August 4th, 1621, when a most violent storm occurred at the very moment when Parliament was sitting to enforce Episcopacy on the people.