The All-Day Battle

• After Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821, other nations did not want to recognize its autonomy.
• After a civil war in the late 1850s, Benito Juárez became Mexico's first indigenous president in 1861.
• Juárez canceled repayments on foreign loans to protect Mexico's st...

Even though the Cinco de Mayo holiday has its origins in Mexican heritage and culture, the celebrations are mostly in America, and in the city of Puebla, where the battle was fought. In the 1960s, the food and drink establishments marketed the day as a day to celebrate, and by the 80s, turned it ...

In the Western world, a five-day working week has been the norm for less than a century.

• The Reformation carved out Sunday as a holy day in Europe.
• 19th-century bosses started granting a half-day holiday on Saturdays.
• Industrialists such as Henry Ford pioneered the ...