SUMMER’S LAST BIG FLING
• The first generally recognized Labor Day celebration was September 5, 1882, in New York City. It was organized by the Central Labor Union of New York, and about 10,000 workers participated.
• In 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions of the United States and Canada adopted a resolution calling for the first Monday in September to be a workers’ national holiday.
• Oregon was first, passing its Labor Day law on February 21, 1887. Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York followed later that year.
• Congress acted on June 28, 1894, and President Grover Cleveland signed the law establishing the first Monday in September as a federal holiday.
• Most of the rest of the world celebrates labor on May 1st (International Workers’ Day). U.S. leaders intentionally chose September to avoid aligning with May 1, which was tied directly to the radical socialist movements and the bloody 1886 Haymarket Affair in Chicago.
• The Origin of “No White After Labor Day”: The classic fashion rule originated in the late 19th century as a social boundary line drawn by high-society elites. White lightweight apparel was meant for summer resorts and vacations; putting it away after Labor Day signaled a return to the city and back to work.
• According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, Labor Day marks the official end of “Peak Hot Dog Season,” during which Americans consume roughly 7 billion hot dogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend.
LOSE WEIGHT BY EATING EVERY OTHER DAY _ A small study (University of Graz) found that people who fast every other day may lose more weight than they would if they stuck to their usual eating habits. Researchers randomly assigned 60 people to either stick to their usual eating habits or switch to alternate day fasting, with 12 hours of unrestricted food followed by 36 hours of no food. With alternate-day fasting, people reduced weekly calories by 37 percent on average.
SIGNS FOOTBALL SEASON HAS RETURNED
• Sales are way up on heavy-duty wide-screen TVs that resist thrown beer cans.
• Preachers are using football analogies like, “What Would Jesus Do on Third and Long?”
• Your fantasy football group chat has sent 847 messages since 6 AM, and 846 of them are people defending why they drafted a kicker in the third round.
• Dad suddenly becomes a meteorologist, obsessively checking if there’s a 12% chance of rain three states away that might affect “his team.”
• The grocery store wings section looks like a tornado hit it, and there’s a waiting list to buy ranch dressing.
• Men are suddenly experts on hamstring injuries and can diagnose a torn ACL from their La-Z-Boy better than team doctors.
• Amazon’s “Customers Also Bought” suggestion section now suggests nacho cheese.
