Americans work hard, and on the first Monday of every September we take a moment to acknowledge their efforts. Labor Day has a fascinating history, and one that you might not expect. The roots of Labor Day stretch back to the Industrial Revolution, when jobs became plentiful, but not without a cost. As conditions worsened and work days grew longer, unions sprang up as a way to protect the rights of the common laborer. Workers in Canada didn’t fare quite so well because unions were illegal. In 1872, workers marched directly to the door of Canadian Prime Minister John Macdonald, demanding the right to organize. He relented, and the march became a Canadian tradition. As for who brought the tradition to our country, there are two competing candidates. Peter J. McGuire, a carpenter and member of the American Federation of Labor, witnessed the celebrations in Canada and proposed a similar parade to New
York City’s Central Labor Union in 1882. That same year, machinist Matthew Maguire proposed a national Labor Day after a public demonstration by the Central Labor Union. Labor Day didn’t become a federal holiday, though, until a few years later. In 1894, the American Railway Union went on strike against the Pullman Company in what is now known as the Pullman Strike. President Grover Cleveland called in the Army and U.S. Marshals in an attempt to break the strike, and several workers in Chicago lost their lives. In an effort to quell tensions and garner union vote support, President Cleveland signed Labor Day into law just six days after the strike ended. Our country would not be what it is today without the immense effort of laborers. As you enjoy the last long weekend before fall, take a moment to acknowledge just what a difference these hardworking people make.
MARVEL COMICS’ HEROIC COMEBACK
With a star-spangled shield, a thunderous hammer, and an iron suit, Marvel Comics built franchises recognized across the globe. Of the 10 biggest box-office successes in history — not adjusting for inflation — three of them are from Marvel Studios. It’s easy to forget just two decades ago, Marvel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In 1993, Marvel was more powerful than a teenager after a radioactive spider bite. Unfortunately, the comic market was a bubble, and when it burst, Marvel sales plummeted. In 1996, Marvel stocks had fallen 93 percent, and the company filed for bankruptcy. To survive, Marvel merged with toy company ToyBiz and sold the rights to their biggest names — including Spider-Man, X-Men, and The Fantastic Four — to movie studios. For 10 years, Marvel struggled to stay afloat, before they turned it around with a crazy gamble. In 2005, when Marvel Studios first announced plans for films about characters who were relatively unknown to the public at the time, like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America, one newspaper mockingly declared, “Marvel Rolls Out the B-Team.” A post-credits scene at the end of 2008’s “Iron Man” revealed Marvel’s endgame: A series of crossover films, the likes of which moviegoers and comic fans had never seen.
Fans went wild for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Disney shelled out $4 billion to buy the company in 2009. When “The Avengers,” the company’s first big crossover, hit theaters, it became — and remains — the highest-grossing superhero movie in history. Today, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has brought in over $11 billion worldwide. On their comic home turf, Marvel still enjoys popularity and profit. Their “Black Panther” and “The Mighty Thor” titles were bestsellers across the industry in 2016. It’s a comeback story you usually only find in the pages of a comic.
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