Labor Day Facts 2018: 7 Fun Things About Unofficial End Of Summer

Monday is Labor Day — a national holiday that is traditionally celebrated with loved ones, involving picnics, barbecues, road trips, and sports events.

Sept. 3, when most government offices, schools, and, businesses are closed, also unofficially marks the end of summer season. But that is not all there is to know about Labor Day.

Here are a few lesser-known and fun facts about Labor Day from Constitution Center and Adorama Pix:

1. In the late 19th century, Labor Day celebrations focused mainly on parades in towns and cities. However, the holiday evolved over the years to honor organized labor with fewer parades, and more activities.

2. There is a fair bit of controversy about who should be credited for Labor Day coming into existence. Sure, former President Grover Cleveland signed it into law in 1894, but there are mainly two men with similar sounding surnames — Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and Matthew Maguire, member of International Association of Machinists — whose mentions come up when the history of Labor Day is traced back. However, the debate on who among the two conceived the idea of Labor Day is still raging.

3. Apart from being the unofficial end to summer, the day also marks the unofficial end of hot dog season. According to National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, it is estimated that Americans end up devouring seven billion hot dogs per year between Memorial Day (May 27) and Labor Day.

4. A fashion trend on Labor Day, which has been discontinued in the recent years, called for people to not step out dressed in white garments after the holiday was over. The tradition dated back to the Victorian era when people traditionally wore white when vacationing in their summer cottages, till Labor Day, which put an unofficial end to the season. After Labor Day, people would traditionally opt for colors which were more appropriate for the upcoming Fall — a trend that is no longer observed, what with white becoming the go-to color for every season.

5. The woman with a red and white polka dotted scarf tied around her head and flexing her biceps has become an iconic symbol for woman laborers over the ages. The poster — called Rosie the Riveter — was designed by artist J. Howard Miller. She stood as a symbol of feminism and a morale booster for women working in factories during World War II. In 2016, reality star and model Kendall Jenner recreated the image as part of a campaign to encourage women to go out to vote in the election.

6. Labor Day is often the busiest time of the year, as everyone is driving to some place, whether to spend quality time with their family and relatives or spend it with friends, making the most of the last bit of summer. Some of the places frequented by holiday-goers are South Beach Florida, Myrtle Beach, and Coney Island.

7. It won’t be a Labor Day story without some interesting facts about the very people the Labor Day is dedicated to — workers in various fields of the social structure who contribute to the progress of the country. It is estimated that U.S. workers punched in an estimated 1,790 hours per year. The level of dedication to work is impressive, especially considering these workers take on average about 25.4 minutes to get to work.