why is it called black monday 
black monday refers not only to the events on oct 19 1987 but also to a number of specific mondays when sudden severe and turbulent events have occurred from military battles to massacres and stock market crashes the term seems to have been coined by u s representative john bell williams on the floor of congress in washington d c on monday 17 may 1954 this was the date of the supreme court s decision in brown v board of education in which the court ruled that u s state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools were unconstitutional in opposition to the decision white citizens councils were formally organized throughout the south to preserve segregation and defend segregated schools the bottom lineblack monday refers to the catastrophic worldwide stock market crash on oct 19 1987 when the djia fell 508 points or 22 6 in a single day it remains the largest one day decline ever other major stock markets saw similarly huge declines stock markets quickly recovered a majority of their black monday losses in just two trading sessions the djia gained back 288 points or 57 of the total black monday losses in less than two years us stock markets had surpassed their pre crash highs 4since then the u s securities and exchange commission has built a number of protective mechanisms to avoid market panics such as trading curbs and circuit breakers 