- The first Labor Day was celebrated in New York City before it was a legal holiday. The Central Labor Union planned a parade to honor union workers on Tuesday, September 5, 1882.
- About 10,000 workers marched in that parade from City Hall to 42nd Street, then on to Wendel's Elm Park where their families joined them for picnics, a concert, and speeches.
- No one is exactly sure who came up with the idea of Labor Day. It was either Peter McGuire, a carpenter, or Matthew MacGuire, a machinist. Over the years people confused the two due to the similarity of their last names, so now the real story is unclear.
- Back then, people really were in need of a day off. Many Americans worked 12-hour days, 7 days a week. The Adamson Act was passed on September 3, 1916 requiring a work day to be no more than 8 hours long.
- Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day a legal holiday in 1887. That same year, New York, Colorado, Massachusetts, and New Jersey did the same. By 1894, 23 states were officially celebrating Labor Day.
- It was approved as a legal national holiday on June 28, 1894 to be celebrated the first Monday in September every year.
- Canada also celebrates this holiday at the same time as the United States, but they spell it "Labour" Day. Many other countries choose to celebrate on May 1 instead for International Workers Day.
Now that you know the origin of Labor Day, how will you be celebrating yours? In honor of the original reason for the holiday in the first place, make sure to avoid work if at all possible. It is supposed to be a day off from work, so if you have the chance to do that, enjoy it!
Get together with your family or a few friends and savor summer while you still can. Fall is just around the corner. However you decide to spend your Labor Day weekend, all of us at Good & Perfect Gifts wish you a very happy and very safe holiday.
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