September 4th – Labor Day

September 4, 2017 at 12:01 am | Posted in Today's Reasons To Celebrate | Leave a comment

Good morning laborers. Today is Monday, September 4, 2017. Today’s reasons to celebrate are:

Labor Day

Labor Day is celebrated annually on the first Monday of September. The obvious question is; if this holiday is called Labor Day, why isn’t anyone working? And, of course, the obvious answer is; because Labor Day honors laborers, they are given the day off as a reward for their labors throughout the rest of the year.
Labor Day is always celebrated on the first Monday in September and celebrates the contributions American workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. It is also appropriately called the “workingman’s holiday”. Labor Day was first celebrated in New York City on September 5, 1882, and was started by the Central Labor Union. Matthew Maguire was secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York in 1882, and many believe that he is the person who first proposed this holiday. The first Labor Day celebration even included more than 10,000 workers parading through the streets of New York City.
Labor Day started out as a state holiday celebrated on September 5th. Soon, other individual states began celebrating Labor Day as well. As it gained popularity, the holiday was moved to the first Monday in September in 1884, where it is celebrated today. As the number of states that celebrated Labor Day began to increase, Congress voted Labor Day a national holiday on June 28, 1894.
Labor Day is also viewed by many as the unofficial end of summer. While the Fall Equinox is still a couple of weeks away, summer vacations are over and children are going back to school. So this marks the end of the season.
You don’t need to be in a union to celebrate this holiday. As long as you work, or have worked, somewhere at something, at some time, this holiday is for you. Many people celebrate this holiday weekend with one last family outing or a picnic. Others use it to put away their “summer toys”, or to finish the last of those summer projects around the house or yard. What are you doing to celebrate Labor Day?

Newspaper Carrier Day

National Newspaper Carrier Day commemorates the hiring of the first newspaper delivery boy on this date in 1833. Benjamin Day, the publisher of The New York Sun, hired Barney Flaherty, age 10, to deliver papers for his penny press. Newspaper Carrier Day is always celebrated on September 4th. This holiday also honors everyone who is now, or once was, a newspaper carrier. The list includes thousands, if not millions, of people, and if you delivered newspapers as a child, you’re in good company. Such notable people as James Cagney, Albert Einstein, even Isaac Asimov and Martin Luther King Jr. started out delivering the local paper. There’s even a Newspaper Carrier Hall of Fame that was created in 1960 acknowledging some of history’s most famous newspaper carriers, including those previously mentioned and the likes of Warren Buffett and John Wayne as well.
Delivering newspapers was primarily done by children aged between 10 to about 15 as a way to pick up a little spending money. In small towns across America, the tradition of using children continues as the primary way to deliver newspapers to your home, although in many metropolitan areas, this job is now handled by adults who often use their cars to deliver the papers in bulk to newsstands.
National Newspaper Carrier Day recognizes the importance of newspaper carriers in getting the newspaper into the hands of millions of readers every day. This holiday honors carriers all over the world, as they deliver the paper diligently in all kinds of weather.

National Wildlife Day 

National Wildlife Day was founded in 2005 in memory of animal lover and conservationist Steve Irwin who died on this date in a deadly encounter with a, normally docile, a stingray while filming a documentary film, ironically titled,” Ocean’s Deadliest.” National Wildlife Day is an opportunity to learn more about endangered species, preservation and conservation efforts around the world. Zoos, aviaries, and marine sanctuaries provide a variety of ways to get involved.
National Wildlife Day reminds us that the world’s animals are a precious resource, and if we don’t start taking care of them now, many species will be gone forever. Once an animal has gone extinct, they are forever lost, and it’s our responsibility as humans to prevent that.
Many zoos, sanctuaries, conservatories, and organizations work together every year to help preserve wildlife for future generations. National Wildlife Day is also an opportunity to raise awareness about the many species already endangered in this country and around the world. National Wildlife Day is a celebration of all the amazing creatures in nature.
To celebrate National Wildlife Day, visit your local zoo, adopt a pet, donate to your favorite animal shelter, or volunteer to help in any way you can.

National Macadamia Nut Day 

National Macadamia Nut Day is observed annually on September 4th and celebrates the rich and buttery macadamia nut, arguably the supreme leader of the nut world. They are named after Australian physician and chemist, John Macadam, who first encouraged the commercial cultivation of the nuts in Australia. Although they weren’t known by that name at the time, macadamia nuts are believed to have originated in the rainforests of eastern Australia thousands of years ago, and cultivation was begun by the Aborigines.
Macadamia nuts grow on trees resembling large evergreens and grow to 30 to 40 ft. high and a single macadamia tree produces nuts for over 100 years. Macadamia trees require a very specific climate to thrive. They are ideally suited to a mild, frost-free climate with abundant rainfall distributed throughout the year.
Today, most of the world’s macadamia nut supply is grown in Hawaii. Macadamia trees were introduced into Hawaii in the late 19th century and were initially used as an ornamental and for reforestation. They were first cultivated commercially there in 1921. In California, two seedling macadamia trees imported from Hawaii were planted in the early 1880’s and are still standing on the Berkeley campus of the University of California. Macadamia nuts are also commercially important in Australia, South Africa, and Central America.
Today, macadamia nuts are widely popular and enjoyed by people across the globe. They are very nutritious and are known for their many health benefits. Like many nuts, macadamia nuts are a rich source of energy, high in dietary fiber, gluten-free, high in mono-unsaturated fat, an excellent source of minerals and contain many important B-complex vitamins. They are high in protein and carbohydrates and contain calcium, iron, and potassium. Macadamia nut oil is also found in cosmetics and other skin care products because of its oxidative stability.
To celebrate this holiday, enjoy some macadamia nuts today.

Eat an Extra Dessert Day

Eat an Extra Dessert Day not only allows but actually encourages you to guiltlessly indulge yourself in an extra dessert today. What could be better than that?
Desserts are usually a sweet course served after the end of a meal. In the past, eating of dessert typically took place after supper (or dinner) – the last meal day, but these days desserts can top off a midday meal as well. Heck, I sometimes have dessert for breakfast.
Eat an Extra Dessert Day has to be the best holiday ever. I don’t know how, why, when, where, or by whom this holiday was created – and frankly, I don’t care. I’m just glad that it exists. In my humble opinion, the creator(s) of this holiday should be Canonized.
To celebrate this holiday, save room for two desserts tonight. Bonus points if one or both contain macadamia nuts.

On This Date

• In 1609 – English navigator Henry Hudson began exploring the island of Manhattan.
• In 1781 – Los Angeles, CA, was founded by Spanish settlers. The original name was “El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora La Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula,” which translates as “The Town of the Queen of Angels.”
• In 1825 – New York Governor Clinton ceremoniously emptied a barrel of Lake Erie water in the Atlantic Ocean to consummate the “Marriage of the Waters” of the Great Lakes and the Atlantic.
• In 1870 – Napoleon III was ousted as Emperor of France. The first elected President of France, Napoleon took over the title of Emperor in 1852. The ouster came in response to Napoleon’s capitulation during the Franco-Prussian War. After being removed from power, he was exiled to England, where he died on January 9, 1873.
• In 1882 – Thomas Edison’s Pearl Street electric power station began operations in New York City. It was the first display of a practical electrical lighting system.
• In 1885 – The Exchange Buffet opened in New York City. It was the first self-service cafeteria in the United States.
• In 1886 – Geronimo, and the Apache Indians he led, surrendered in Skeleton Canyon in Arizona to Gen. Nelson Miles.
• In 1888 – George Eastman registered the name “Kodak” and patented his roll-film camera. The camera took 100 exposures per roll and changed the world of photography by making it easier for amateurs to take it up as a hobby.
• In 1899 – An 8.3 earthquake hit Yakutat Bar, Alaska.
• In 1917 – The American expeditionary force in France suffered its first fatalities in World War I.
• In 1921 – The first police broadcast was made by radio station WIL in St. Louis, MO.
• In 1949 – The longest pro tennis match in history was played when Pancho Gonzales and Ted Schroeder played 67 games in five sets.
• In 1953 – The New York Yankees became the first baseball team to win five consecutive American League championships.
• In 1957 – The Arkansas National Guard was ordered by Governor Orval Faubus to keep nine black students from going into Little Rock’s Central High School.
• In 1957 – The Ford Motor Company began selling the Edsel. The car was so unpopular that it was taken off the market after only two years.
• In 1971 – “The Lawrence Welk Show” was seen for the last time on ABC-TV.
• In 1972 – Swimmer Mark Spitz captured his seventh Olympic gold medal in the 400-meter medley relay event at Munich, Germany. Spitz was the first Olympian to win seven gold medals.
• In 1993 – Pope John Paul II started his first visit to the former Soviet Union.
• In 1993 – Jim Abbott (New York Yankees) pitched a no-hitter. Abbott was born without a right hand.
• In 1998 –Popular internet search engine  Google was founded. The internet company, now synonymous with the act of finding information on the world wide web was created by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. It started as a research project when Page and Brin were doctoral students at Stanford University.
• In 1998 – The game show “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” made its debut on British television. The popular quiz game show that gave out cash prizes to contests for answering increasingly difficult questions was developed by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill, and Steven Knight, and was aired for the first time on ITC. Chris Tarrant hosted the British version of the show until 2014. The popularity of the show in the UK prompted TV channels from other countries to adapt it for their audiences in other countries.
• In 1998 – While in Ireland, President Clinton said the words “I’m sorry” for the first time about his affair with Monica Lewinsky and described his behavior as indefensible.
• In 1999 – The United Nations announced that the residents of East Timor had overwhelmingly voted for independence from Indonesia in a referendum held on August 30. In Dili, the Capital of East Timor, pro-Indonesian militias attacked independence supporters, burned buildings, blew up bridges and destroyed telecommunication facilities.
• In 2002 – Kelly Clarkson became the first American Idol winner. The singer, songwriter, and Grammy Awards winner made her first appearance in the second episode of the reality TV show, which co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman and was judged by Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, and Randy Jackson. The popular show was broadcast on Fox television network and has been on television for 15 seasons.
• In 2002 – The Oakland Athletics won their American League-record 20th straight game. The A’s gave up an 11-run lead during the game and then won the game on a Scott Hatteberg home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.
• In 2003 – Keegan Reilly, 22, became the first paraplegic climber to reach the peak of Japan’s Mount Fuji.

Noteworthy Birthdays

If you were born on this date, Happy Birthday. You share your birthday with the following list of illustrious individuals – and about 20-million other people.

• Richard Wright 1908 – Author.
• Henry Ford II 1917 – Industrialist.
• Paul Harvey 1918 – Broadcaster.
• Howard Morris 1919 – Actor.
• Dick York 1928 – Actor.
• Mitzi Gaynor 1931 – Actress, singer, dancer.
• Raymond Floyd 1942 – Golfer.
• Tom Watson 1949 – Golfer.
• Judith Ivey 1951 – Actress.
• Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs 1953 – Actor.
• Khandi Alexander 1960 – Actress.
• Damon Wayans 1960 – Comedian.
• Mike Piazza 1968 – Baseball player.
• Ione Skye 1971 – Actress.
• Wes Bentley 1978 – Actor.
• Beyoncé Knowles 1981 – Singer.