Today is May 1st, or May Day!! I have no clue what that means, thus, I look to my trusty sidekick, Wikipedia. Despite its reputation for being not entirely accurate all the time, most of its articles have some truth to them. Back to the topic. According to Wikipedia, and other sources, many holidays occur on May 1st. For example, many traditional festivals are held on May Day in Europe. However, the May Day celebration that I curious about this year is International Labor Day.
International Labor Day on May 1st originates with the United States labor movement in late 1800s. So why May 1st? On May 1st, 1886, headed by socialists, anarchists, and others in organized labor movements, unions went on strike to demand that the standard workday be shortened to eight hours. On May 4th, rioting broke out in Chicago's Haymarket Square including a bomb that injured several people. In the end, the protests proved to be successful and the workday is shortened to eight hours.
Today, many countries around the world choose May Day to commemorate the efforts won by workers and designate May 1st as International Labor Day. Curiously, the United States celebrates Labor Day in September even though the original worker's rallies took place in the US. How odd...
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