Here it is: Black Friday, otherwise known as the busiest shopping day of the year. Snopes.com reported in 2005 that “although it may be the day the greatest number of holiday shoppers traipse through malls, it isn't the biggest day of the year in terms of dollars spent.” The biggest shopping day in terms of sales varies each year, but the Saturdays and Sundays before Christmas usually make the top 10. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, the biggest shopping day of 2005 was Nov. 25, the Friday after Thanksgiving. In 2004, however, it was Saturday, Dec. 18, with about $8 billion in sales.

–M. L. Liu