10 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know about Labor Day

1) We are celebrating the contributions and achievements of the 155 million men and women who are in the U.S. workforce.

2) In the late 19th century, the average working day consisted of 12 hours. In the late 1800s the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks. Children as young as 5-6 years old worked in factories and mines.

3) No one knows who started it. There is still some doubt as to who is actually the first person to propose the holiday for workers.

4) First US Labor Day observance was in the form of a parade

5) One of the reasons for choosing to celebrate this on the first Monday in September was to add a holiday in the long gap between Independence Day and Thanksgiving.

6) There’s usually some congestion on highways and at airports. Public transit systems do not usually operate on their regular timetables.

7) Some retailers claim it is one of the largest sale dates of the year, second only to the Christmas season’s Black Friday.

8) Some of those who are employed in the retail sector not only work on Labor Day, but work longer hours.

9) In high society, Labor Day is considered the last day of the year when it is fashionable to wear white.

10) Held on a Tuesday, the first Labor Day rally was held in order to gain support for the 8 hour workday.

by Jani