== == If by "black box," you're referring to a Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) or a Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), modern DFDRs and CVRs are typically double wrapped, in strong corrosion-resistant stainless steel or titanium, with high-temperature insulation inside. They are designed to withstand high impact forces and high temperatures from fires.

There are two "black boxes" on modern day aircraft. One is the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) used to record cockpit, intercom, and pilot to controller communications. The other is the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) used to record aircraft flight control inputs, flight parameters (speed, altitude, etc.), and system performance. The primary use for both is in accident investigation.

And there actually orange :)

The color black is often connected to death. When you attend funerals you wear black, hearses are black etc.

The black-box is there to tell the story of the now-dead flight crew. Although it isn't always the case that everyone onboard died, the black-box was designed for these situations, and the name just stuck. ==Another possibility... The term "black box" also refers to a stand-alone electronic unit that is removable and replaceable in its entirety without having to cut and splice wires. Black boxes in aviation refer to the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) which are stand alone units that are removable for study simply by sliding out of their racks. In these days, however, data from black boxes is usually downloaded by computer hook-ups.