If you can answer these five questions about Labor Day without looking them up, you are a Senior Spirit Genius!
1) Which U.S. state was the first to regulate Labor Day?
View Answer
Oregon passed the first actual law in 1887.
2) Was the U.S. the first country to celebrate the holiday for workers?
View Answer
No. Canada celebrated the day in 1972, a full decade before the U.S.
3) Who actually started Labor Day?
View Answer
The real answer is, “No one knows.” Some believe Peter McGuire, the general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, was the initiator. Others say it was Matthew Maguire, an Irish-American union machinist.
4) Which President decreed the first Monday of every September would be set aside for the worker’s holiday?
View Answer
President Grover Cleveland made the declaration during a railroad strike.
5) How many hours a day did Americans work during the Industrial Revolution?
View Answer
Americans worked an average of 12 hours each day, seven days a week. Children as young as five worked alongside adults in mills and factories.
Sources
“What Is Labor Day About? 10 Historical Facts About Celebration Of American Movement,” Staff, September 2016, Latin Times.
“Ten Facts About Labor Day You Might Not Have Known,” Staff, September 2016, WSPA.com.
Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors
www.csa.us
