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From: stank@cbnewsl.att.com (Stan Krieger)
Newsgroups: soc.history,soc.culture.french,soc.culture.misc,trial.soc.culture.italian
Subject: Labor Day (was: May Day)
Message-ID: <1991May2.172852.404@cbnewsl.att.com>
Date: 2 May 91 17:28:52 GMT
References: <ya2gnkd@rpi.edu> <1991May2.123742.25206@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu>
Organization: Summit NJ
Lines: 20

>What I was wondering about is if this is what happened in the U.S.
>too - i.e. was Labour Day once celebrated in the U.S. on May 1st? Perhaps 
>it might have been moved after the 1917 October revolution (in Russia May 
>1st immediately became a national holiday after the revolution, as far as 
>I know) to dissociate it from its socialist tradition? Or is it a more recent 
>holiday that was placed in September directly (for the same reason as above)?
>When was Labour Day first celebrated in the U.S.? France? Other countries?

I believe the first Labor Day in the U.S. was celebrated in the 1880's
or 1890's in New York City on the first Monday in September.

I also read that one of the factors that helped make it a national
holiday was that it extended the summer vacation season by a few days.  
Now the summer resort "season" officially ends on Labor Day instead of
on September 1 (which had been the case).
-- 
Stan Krieger                     All opinions, advice, or suggestions, even
AT&T UNIX System Laboratories    if related to my employment, are my own and
Summit, NJ                       do not represent any public or private
att!attunix!smk                  policies of my employer.