Note- Contrary to what this says, Brazil's Independence Day is tomorrow, not today. On This Day: Tuesday September 6, 2005 This is the 249th day of the year, with 116 days remaining in 2005. Fact of the Day: Labor Day In 1882, Peter J. McGuire, a leader of the labor union the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners (joiner being "a craftsman who constructs things by joining pieces of wood" or "a worker in wood who does more ornamental work than a carpenter") proposed a day to honor laborers. Laborers were considered a new class that worked in the factories and plants created by the Industrial Revolution. Labor Day became a national holiday on which workers in the 1890s and early 20th century used to call attention to their grievances. There were often parades, political speeches, fireworks, and picnics. Today, Labor Day, celebrated on the first Monday in September (as of 1894, by law), simply honors anyone who works. The date has no traditional or historic significance but was picked because it filled a gap in the schedule of legal holidays. Canada also celebrates Labor Day on the first Monday in September; many other countries observe this on May 1. The word labor comes from Latin laborem, "distress, toil trouble; drudgery, labor," and first referred to work that was compulsory or painful. The meaning changed with the advent of the Industrial Revolution. The first labor unions or trade unions came with the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain in the 18th century. Holidays Swaziland: Somhlolo Day/Independence Day. Scotland: Braemar Highland Gathering. Sao Tome and Principe: National Heroes' Day. Brazil: Independence Day. Events 394 - Theodosius became sole ruler of Italy after defeating Eugenius at the Battle of the River Frigidus. 1552 - One of Ferdinand Magellan's ships returned to Spain, having successfully circumnavigated the globe. 1837 - First U.S. coeducational college opened in Oberlin, Ohio -- the Oberlin Collegiate Institute (now Oberlin College). 1869 - The first major coal mine disaster in the U.S. took place at Avondale, Pennsylvania. A fire broke out in a mineshaft and 110 miners were trapped inside and died. 1899 - Carnation Company made the first can of evaporated milk. 1901 - President William McKinley was mortally wounded by anarchist Leon Czolgosz at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. McKinley died eight days later and Theodore Roosevelt became President. 1907 - Luxury liner Lusitania departed London for New York on her maiden voyage. 1909 - Word was received from American explorer Robert Peary that he had reached the North Pole five months earlier. 1920 - First prizefight broadcasted on the radio (Jack Dempsey v. Billy Miske). 1936 - Beryl Markham flew the first east-to-west solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. 1939 - South Africa declared war on Germany. 1952 - Canadian television broadcasting began in Montreal. 1953 - The last official act of the Korean War took place as American and Korean prisoners are exchanged in Operation Big Switch. 1954 - Ground-breaking ceremony was held for the first U.S. nuclear power plant (Shippingport, Pennsylvania). 1955 - "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" premiered on TV. 1966 - South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd was stabbed to death by a parliamentary page during a session in Cape Town. Verwoerd was an architect of South Africa's racist apartheid policies. 1975 - Czechoslovakian tennis star Martina Navratilova requested U.S. asylum. 1988 - Lee Roy Young became the first African-American Texas Ranger. 1989 - Ben Johnson's victories were removed from the record books after tests showed that he had used performance-enhancing drugs. 1991 - Soviet government recognized the Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania. 1991 - Leningrad's name changed back to St. Petersburg. 1997 - Princess Diana's funeral was held in Westminster Abbey. Births 1757 - Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roche-Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de LaFayette, French soldier and statesman who aided George Washington during the American Revolution. 1766 - English scientist John Dalton, who first propounded the atomic theory of matter. 1860 - Jane Addams, American social reformer and pacifist who founded Chicago's Hull House and received the Nobel Peace Prize (1931). 1888 - Joseph P. Kennedy, father of John F. Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy, and Ted Kennedy. 1892 - Edward Appleton, English physicist and Nobel prize-winner for physics (1947) whose discovery of the upper region of the ionosphere led to the development of radar. 1899 - Billy Rose, American songwriter ("Me and My Shadow") and theatrical producer. 1928 - Robert Pirsig, American, author of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." Deaths 1566 - Suleiman I (the Magnificent) of the Ottoman Empire. 1701 - James II, king of England.