Put simply, “Labor Day was created to honor workers and support unions at the height of the industrial revolution, when working conditions were less than ideal.” It was the time of 12 hour workdays, 7 day weeks, and included children as young as just 5 years old working in mines and factories,. Thanks to the labor movement these conditions were eventually changed, and in essence Labor Day celebrates these efforts.

Here are some Labor Day facts – both serious and fun – we bet you didn’t know:

The first ever Labor Day was held in New York City: “On Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882, workers and spectators gathered in lower Manhattan to jump-start the first-ever Labor Day parade, celebrating the city’s vast and diverse laborers.”

Could Labor Day originally be Canadian? In 1872 Toronto witnessed its first labor disputes. Rumor has it that Peter J. MacGuirebecame inspired and brought the idea back home to the US.

The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council have deemed Hot Dog Season to run between Memorial Day and Labor Day, which marks its end! In that period the average US hot dog consumption comes in at around 7 billion hot dogs!

Oregon was the first US State to make Labor Day an official holiday in 1887!

You shouldn’t wear white clothes the day after Labor Day! White uniforms were attributed to soldiers wearing them during the hot summer months. As Labor Day marks the end of summer, it also signals the beginning of the need for warmer clothes!