Long a "national holiday" for bargain hunters, Black Friday continues to create lines at shopping malls and big box stores, although the rise of online shopping has changed the dynamic over the years.

With a history partly rooted in the chaos of post-holiday shopping sprees, the origins of Black Friday's nickname isn't completely clear. The term once referred to an 1800s stock market collapse. It also has been suggested it means the day retailers finally make money, or get into the "black."

It also may reference the 1950s in Philadelphia when a number of weekend events coincided and caused massive congestion and chaos.

Regardless, shoppers across the country will fight off the post-Thanksgiving food coma to score major markdowns on everything from flat-screen TVs to kitchen applia

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