Ah, September. If you live north of the Florida-Georgia line, you might be thinking about packing away bathing suits in favor of warmer clothing. Labor Day — which falls on Sept. 1 this year — is considered the official end of summer.
As kids head back to reading, writing and math, here are a few Labor Day facts just for the grown-ups.
Remember when wearing white after Labor Day was a fashionfaux pas? That rule is largely outdated. The tradition stems from wealthy vacationers who swapped their “city clothing” for lighter fabrics and colors during summer.
Although many Americans get Labor Day off, wouldn’t a four-day workweek be even better? Several countries — including Spain, Iceland, South Africa, Belgium and Japan are giving it a try.
September also marks the peak of Atlantic hurricane season, with the highest risk around Sept. 10. A few memorable storms have struck on or near Labor Day weekend, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane David in 1979. The deadliest was the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, which slammed into the Florida Keys as the first Category 5 storm to make landfall in the United States, claiming more than 400 lives.
President Grover Cleveland signed the bill declaring Labor Day a federal holiday in 1894, stating that it would always be on a Monday, thus giving us a long holiday weekend.