6 Fun Facts about Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day! Many of us will be enjoying this day off of work to celebrate the end of summer with family and friends at picnics, pool parties and BBQs.  Here are some fun and interesting facts about Labor Day that might help you out in the next game of Trivial Pursuit! 

Labor Day Facts

1. The first U.S. Labor Day was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882 in New York City, planned by the Central Labor Union.  The Labor Day parade of about 10,000 workers took unpaid leave and marched from City Hall past Union Square uptown to 42nd street, and ended in Wendel’s Elm Park at 92nd Street and 9th Avenue for a concert, speeches, and a picnic.
2. Oregon was the first to declare Labor Day an official holiday in 1887.
3. Labor Day is considered the ‘unofficial NFL season kickoff.’ 99.44 percent of the time, the NFL plays its first official season game the Thursday after Labor Day.
4. The first Waffle house opened on Labor Day. In 1955, in Avondale Estates, GA, the very first Waffle House opened its doors to the public.
5. What are we celebrating? The contributions and achievements of the 155 million men and women who are in the U.S. workforce.
6. On June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

Happy Labor Day!

Page Updated on: July 19, 2023