Labor Day weekend is just ahead. For many of us it marks the unofficial end of summer and the beginning of a new school year.

In the United States and Canada, the first Monday of September is a federal holiday, Labor Day. Originally celebrated in New York City’s Union Square in 1882, Labor Day was organized by unions as a rare day of rest for the overworked during the Industrial Revolution.

Watch Kenneth C. Davis’ illustration of the history of Labor Day from Union Square to today.

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