Labour Day in Google Doodle

The holiday has its origins in the 19th century labor movement

It may have a different date in the U.S., but many countries around the world will be taking a public holiday Friday to celebrate the international Labour Day, and Google is marking the event with a new Doodle.

Labour Day, also called International Workers’ Day or May Day, has its origins in the late 19th century labor movement. One of the most significant contributors to Labour Day was the Haymarket Massacre.

On May 4, 1886, a Chicago, Ill., bombing killed seven police officers along with four civilians. The dynamite blast was a response to the killings of peaceful demonstrators by police the day before. After the bombing, eight anarchists were convicted of conspiracy and sentenced to death. The case created international headlines because the evidence suggested none of those eight men actually threw the bomb.

Three years later, a French socialist party created an international day to honor the labor movement and marked May 1 in commemoration of the Haymarket Massacre.

The Google Doodle honors the Labor Day origins with graphics showing traditional manual labor tools such as a wrench and tape measure.