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Labor Day: 5 things you probably didn't know about the end-of-summer holiday
Labor Day: From a debate surrounding the holiday's founder to an enigmatic social rule, the history of Labor Day offers plenty of material to keep you reading on your time away.
Peter J. Mcguire is most frequently accredited the foundation of Labor Day. (John Roberge/MCT/Newscom)
1. McGuire? Maguire? MacGyver?
Though it is one of the most celebrated federal holidays, there is great debate over who founded Labor Day.
According to the United States Department of Labor, some records show that Peter J. McGuire, cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was the first to propose a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold." But other accounts promote a different story: that Matthew Maguire, secretary of the International Association of Machinists and a machinist himself, suggested the creation of the holiday.
Luckily the McGuire/Maguire mixup didn’t stall the plans, and the first Labor Day was celebrated in 1882.
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