Labor Day Was Almost May 1
Nowadays we all enjoy one day off in September to revel in the waning days of summer, but if history had played out differently, the U.S. might have honored the labor movement on May 1 instead. In 1884, the American Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions declared that by May 1, 1886, all employers institute an eight-hour workday. When that proclamation failed to come to fruition, workers moved to strike, sparking the brutal Haymarket Riot in Chicago. Years later in 1894, fearing the tainted history of that date would continually lead to radical movements commemorating the riots, President Grover Cleveland decided to follow the lead of several states and make the first Monday in September the official holiday for laborers. However, May 1 still holds significance around the world as International Workers' Day (in the U.S., it's known as May Day or Loyalty Day), with many countries, especially those with communist governments, host parades and street demonstrations in support of the working class on that day.