Five Fun Facts About Labor Day!

Here is the USA, Labor Day is the first Monday of every September. And while for many that means an extra day off from work and the chance to party and picnic with family and friends as we say "goodbye" to Summer, there are also some interesting facts about this holiday that you can share as you gather around the grill or at the beach today... enjoy!

FUN FACT #1: 

Sponsored by the Central Labor Union, the first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in Union Square in New York City.

FUN FACT #2: 

Labor Day weekend is considered one of the busiest weekends to travel. According to AAA, travel growth for this particular holiday weekend continues to grow each year. Last year, over 35.5 million people hit the road, 85.8 % by car... and you thought today would mean "no traffic" on the expressways! 

FUN FACT #3: 

There’s a bit of controversy as to who started Labor Day. Some say it was Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners. Other say it was Matthew Maguire a member of International Association of Machinists. The controversy continues with no declared official winner. What we do know is that President Grover Cleveland signed it into law as an official US holiday in 1894.  By the way, Labor Day came about more than two decades BEFORE the US Department of Labor was formed within the Executive Branch!

FUN FACT #4: 

According to trends, there will be thousands of moms who will go into labor on Labor Day resulting in about 10,829 babies being born, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

FUN FACT #5:

The average work day in the 19th century was 12 hours long, 7 days a week and sometimes children as young as 5 were working in factories! And we thought we had long days on the job now!