Every year, the first Monday in September, we celebrate Labor Day. A day dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It comprises a yearly national tribute to the workers that contributed their strength, security, prosperity, productivity, laws, sustainability, persistence, structure, and well-being of the country.
Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, different groups of trade unionists chose a variety of days on which to celebrate labor. In the United States, a September holiday called Labor Day was first proposed in the early 1880s. Alternate stories of the event’s origination exist.
According to one early history of Labor Day, the event originated in connection with a General Assembly of the Knights of Labor convened in New York City on September 1882. In connection with this clandestine Knights assembly, a public parade of various labor organizations was held on September 5 under the auspices of the Central Labor Union (CLU) of New York. Secretary of the CLU Matthew Maguire is credited for first proposing that a national Labor Day holiday subsequently be held on the first Monday of each September in the aftermath of this successful public demonstration.
Labor Day is usually called the “unofficial end of summer” because it marks the end of the cultural summer season. Many take their two-week vacations during the two weeks ending Labor Day weekend because this is the last time they can enjoy a fun summer vacation. Many fall activities, such as school and sports, also begins about this time.
In the United States, many school resume classes around the Labor Day holiday weekend. Some begin the week before, making Labor Day weekend the first three-day weekend of the school calendar, while others return the Tuesday following Labor Day, allowing families one final vacation before the school year begins. Many districts across the Midwest are opting to begin school after Labor Day.
Many retailer store across the United States and online stores also takes advantage of large numbers of potential customers with time to shop, Labor Day has become an important weekend for discounts and, especially for back-to-school sales. Some retailers claim it is one of the largest sale dates of the year, second only to the Christmas season’s Black Friday.
So, today, how will you celebrate Labor Day? Well, you can always take “me” time, resting in your backyard, reflecting on the hard work you did for the whole year, or you can throw a backyard barbeque with and invite your family and friends. You can also attend a community event or parade with your kids. Share on social media how you celebrated this day by using #LaborDay.
1996 Michael Jackson earns his 12th and final solo #1 with “You Are Not Alone”
Popstar Michael Jackson’s song “You Are Not Alone” reaches number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100—his 12th #1 hit.
Jackson’s incredible run of chart-topping hits began in 1972 with the release of his fifth single, “Ben,” from the motion picture of the same name. A touching ballad about a sensitive boy’s devotion to a rat, “Ben” may seem a strange pop-cultural artifact in retrospect, but it raised few eyebrows at the time when it made Jackson the third-youngest recording artist (after Stevie Wonder and Donny Osmond) to earn a solo #1 hit. It would be another seven years before Jackson again reached the top of the pop charts, but when he did, it marked the beginning of a 10-year run as great as any in pop history.
“Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Rock With You” was Jackson’s second and third #1 hits, both from the Quincy Jones-produced 1979 album Off The Wall, a triumphant release that would be dwarfed by the success of the 1982 follow-up album, Thriller. Thriller yielded Jackson’s fourth and fifth chart-topping hits in “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” while becoming one of the biggest-selling albums of all time and causing Time magazine to call Michael Jackson “A one-man rescue team for the music business.” Five years later, Jackson anointed himself the “King of Pop” and released the album Bad, which gave him his sixth through 10th #1s with “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Bad,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Man in the Mirror” and “Dirty Diana.” “Black or White,” from the album Dangerous, became his 11th chart-topper in 1991.
(excerpted from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/michael-jackson-earns-his-12th-and-final-solo-1-with-you-are-not-alone)
