Google Doodle did not take the day off Monday, when it hailed the American worker on Labor Day.
It has been a federal holiday since 1894 – when it was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland – and Americans traditionally celebrate by holding barbecues and parades, going on picnics, attending block parties and taking trips to the beach.
Labor Day in the United States of America is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws, and well-being of the country. It is the Monday of the long weekend known as Labor Day Weekend. It is recognized as a federal holiday.
Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor. “Labor Day” was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, which organized the first parade in New York City. In 1887, Oregon was the first state of the United States to make it an official public holiday. By the time it became an official federal holiday in 1894, thirty states in the United States officially celebrated Labor Day.
Both Peter J. McGuire, cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, and Matthew Maguire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, have been credited with first proposing the holiday.
“Today’s Doodle honors all hard-working people—whether they be doctors, cooks, plumbers, construction workers, or of any other profession,” Google said.