Labor Day Trivia Facts 2015: 10 Fun Things For Kids To Know

It’s the unofficial end of summer, but it doesn’t mean the fun has to end. There's also a reason why most Americans are off on Monday: Labor Day honors the hard-working citizens of the United States. So while everyone is enjoying their barbeques and brews, impress friends and family by sharing some fun facts about Labor Day, like those below.

1. Labor Day is much more than just a day off of work. It started with Peter McGuire, who is considered the Father of the Labor Day holiday, according to Purple Trail. He was an Irish-American pioneer unionist who wanted citizens that “labored” all year long be acknowledged and have a day to relax.

2. He is credited with saying the following statement during a Central Labor Union on May 18,1882: "Let us have, a festive day during which a parade through the streets of the city would permit public tribute to American Industry."

3. Labor Day has been a nationally celebrated holiday in the U.S. since 1894. It’s also honored in Canada.

4. Creators decided to pick the first week of September to honor Labor Day because the time is between the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving. The first Labor Day parade was held on Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City. And it wasn’t on a Monday. It was a Tuesday.

5. Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day a holiday. This happened in 1887, five years after the first parade.

6. It was President Grover Cleveland who decided the first Monday of every September would be set aside to celebrate Labor Day. The move came during a railroad strike.

7. On average, Americans worked 12-hour days, seven days a week during the Industrial Revolution, local Colorado news station KUSA-TV wrote. And it wasn’t just adults. Children as young as 5 or 6 years old worked in factories and mills throughout the nation.

8. Labor Day is celebrated on a different day in most countries. Many choose May Day, which is on May 1, as their day to honor working people.

9. It takes the average American nearly 30 minutes to get to their job. The average commute it 24.3 minutes, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said.

10. Why is it a fashion faux pas to wear white after Labor Day? Well, there’s no need to worry anymore. Thanks to trend-setters like Diddy and J-Lo, wearing white all year long is acceptable.

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