That the use of this term "in the red" is as ancient as the 1800s is purely conjecture on my part; did book-keepers of that time use quill pens? Was red ink available then? My research indicates that red-colored pencils certainly were not available. Any one care to comment? Such information would expand the article, and perhaps it could stand on its own merits --RogerK 02:06, 23 January 2006 (UTC)