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The True Meaning Of Labor Day: And Everything You’ve Wanted To Know!

Get the scoop and witty history behind Labor Day.

Waverly Odle
Sep 08, 2015
University of Missouri
87
The True Meaning Of Labor Day: And Everything You’ve Wanted To Know!

To most individuals Labor Day is known as an extra day off, a three-day weekend or even a four-day weekend. To most, it means going out of town for the long weekend, laying out by the pool, or taking part in a farewell summer barbecue. But not many people take a moment to appreciate the real meaning behind Labor Day. I will admit I am guilty of this too. There have been many years where the thought of the true meaning or reason for this holiday never crossed my mind on the Monday off. Because of this, I did some reflecting and decided to do a little research to put together a list of five fun facts that everyone should know about Labor Day!

  • How Labor Day began… It has been celebrated as the first Monday in September since 1882, but in 1894 a man by the name of Grover Cleveland pursued making Labor Day a national holiday after an attempt to break up a railroad strike failed. Labor Day is celebrated yearly in tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers throughout history.
  • The first state to celebrate Labor Day…as a legal holiday, is Oregon! And it happened in 1887.
  • Why don’t we wear white after Labor Day?... Clearly people wear white all year long! But this tradition started when the upper class would come back from vacationing all summer and then would put away all lightweight and white clothing before the work and school year would begin again.
  • So how long does it take to get to work?... According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the average commute time for work is 24.3 minutes. This equates to just over four hours of commute time for a five-day work week. Wow, better have some good car jams!
  • Did someone say football?… Many look at Labor Day weekend as the unofficial football season kickoff. Most college teams have their first game Labor Day weekend and 99.44 percent of the time the NFL plays its first season game the Thursday following Labor Day.

So there you have it, five awesome enlightening and fun facts that sum up what the Labor Day holiday means and some of the witty history behind it. So enjoy the day off and the long weekend, kick back and enjoy one of the last weekends of summer, but take a moment to remember the achievements of the American workers who made this holiday a reality.

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