Alright, let's make this quick because I've got some barbecuing to do. I'm Mimi Fots, and this is the Labor Day edition of Hello from the Van. What is Labor Day? Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States and it is celebrated on the first Monday in September. This is also a holiday to the North in Canada. If you are wondering about the origins of Labor Day, here's what we know. It started in 1882. But beyond that, well, there's some disagreement as to how it came to be. There are two schools of thought. According to the first Labor Day lore, the event originated because of a group called the Knights of Labor. They got together in September of 1882 in New York City. They were also with a group called the Central Labor Union of New York. And that group's secretary, Matthew Maguire, is credited for saying, hey, this was a good get together. Let's have a holiday and call it Labor Day. The second theory is that a group called the Federal Organization of Trades and Labor Unions got together and that one of their group members, Peter J. McGuire. So the first guy was Matthew Maguire, and this is Peter J. McGuire. So in the second theory, Peter J. McGuire got together in May of 1882 and said, hey, we should have a parade. Also, September is a great time to have it because it's good weather and it's halfway between the 4th of July and Thanksgiving, which is exactly when people who are working hard need a break. Basically, it doesn't matter if you're Camp Maguire or Camp Maguire. In 1882, everybody said, you know what, we need a break in September. That's a good idea. Five years later, in 1887, the state of Oregon became the first state to recognize Labor Day as a public holiday. By 1894, so 12 years after the Maguire Maguire affair, 30 U.S. states were already officially celebrating Labor Day. And later that year there was a strike, a really bad one. A lot of workers did not want to work for the way that they were being treated. Congress needed some goodwill. And what's a great way to get goodwill with the people who are striking? Well, you give the people a holiday. The first Monday of September was marked as Labor Day and an official federal holiday. It was signed into law on June 28, 1894, by then President Grover Cleveland. Here's the deal. Because state workers and other workers were not being given Labor Day off as a holiday. So after more strikes and more unions, it was finally recognized as a full holiday across the United States by the 1940s. If you are wondering if other countries have something similar to Labor Day, they actually do. It's called May Day, and it happens on May 1st in over 150 countries. Why doesn't the United States celebrate Labor Day on May 1st with the rest of the world? Well, remember when we had that whole Maguire Maguire thing going around? Around that same time there was also something called communism. And May Day at that point was associated with communism and something called socialism. We'll talk more about that in a later episode. Just know that United States politicians did not want to be associated with communism and socialism. So we have our Labor Day or May Day in September, instead of May like the rest of the world. And finally, there have been a lot of state laws built around Labor Day. You see, Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, culturally in the United States. In fact, 7% of Americans who take two-week vacations do it over Labor Day weekend. It's a huge holiday for the United States. And because of that, some states like Virginia and Minnesota have lobbied so that school does not start until after Labor Day. And if you've ever heard the phrase that you shouldn't wear white after Labor Day, well, that's actually not the full phrase. It's actually white and a fabric called seersucker. The source of this tradition goes back to the migration of wealthy New Yorkers, probably named Dottie and Todd, from their summer home Newport mansions back to New York. And with this migration, they would change their style of clothing. Luckily now, street styles in New York City have moved away from arbitrary rules about wearing white, seersucker, and straw hats, and have gone more towards a you do you, boo, type movement. And before we go, I would be remiss if I did not mention Labor Day sales. If you've listened to any commercials on the radio or traditional television, you've probably heard Labor Day, Labor Day, Labor Day, come buy a mattress, or something along those lines. That is because Labor Day, for a lot of American retailers, is their second largest sales date of the year, second only to Christmas season's Black Friday. Anyway, I hope that this holiday is great for those of you celebrating in the United States. And for those of you outside the United States, I wish you a happy May Day when the time comes around. And with that, I'm Mimi Fotz, and this has been Hello from the Van.