Parents everywhere rejoice as Labor Day approaches with the start of the school year, and I am no different! As I look forward to the stability and routine that the school year brings, I will also be celebrating the close of summer with my family and friends this coming Labor Day weekend. But, Labor Day also marks a great achievement in our nation’s history and in preparation of the festivities I have uncovered interesting trivia. What would we do without Google? Enjoy!
The scholarly facts:
- Labor Day is a federal holiday dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers and unofficially began in 1882 with a parade in New York City.
- The Industrial Revolution sparked the need for a “Working Man’s Holiday” as during that time, the average American was working 12 hours days, seven days a week.
- On June 28, 1894 Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year to be a nationally celebrated holiday known as Labor Day and with it an extra national holiday each year (yay!).
Now the important stuffJ:
- Labor Day is the third most popular holiday weekend for barbecuing, after July 4th and Memorial Day.
- Labor Day is the official end to hot dog season. According to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, hot dog season begins on Memorial Day and ends on Labor Day.
- According to highway accident stats, Labor Day weekend is the most dangerous weekend to travel on U.S. highways. The reason? Lots of teens and young adults see it as the last weekend to party before heading back to school.
- Labor Day is often referred to as the ‘unofficial end of summer’. Officially, summer extends through late September. This year, the first day of fall will be September 21st.
- 99.44 % of the time, the NFL plays its first official season game the Thursday after Labor Day. This year it will be between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers.
With only one more week until that long weekend, your friends at TeamPAR wish you a happy, healthy and safe Labor Day weekend! Enjoy those hot dogs!