Everyone knows that Father’s Day is designated as a day to celebrate fathers, but there is actually much more to this Sunday holiday than you might know about. The day actually has a long and interesting history that involves more than just new neck ties. Check out these Father’s Day fun facts!
The idea for Father’s Day was first celebrated in 1910 when a woman named Sonora Dodd listened to a Mother’s Day sermon. She wanted to create a day to celebrate her father, William Smart, who was a civil war veteran who raised six children alone.
June was chosen to celebrate Father’s Day because it was the month that William Smart was born.
Sonora Dodd celebrated the first Father’s Day by delivering gifts to sick fathers.
President Lyndon Johnson declared Father’s Day the third Sunday in June via a presidential proclamation. However, it wasn’t signed into law as an official holiday until 1972 by President Richard Nixon.
According to the most recently available census date, there are approximately 70.1 million fathers in the United States.
Father's Day is the fifth most popular holiday for sending greeting cards.
Neckties are still the most popular gift for dads to receive on Father’s Day.
Over 50 countries celebrate Father’s Day on the same date.
The correct and original spelling of the holiday was “Fathers’ Day” because it belonged to all fathers. However, at some point, it was changed to the current spelling of “Father’s Day”.
In the early 19th century several groups campaigned to combine Mother’s Day and Father’s Day into a single holiday called Parent’s Day. Retailers fought the combining of the holidays and during World War II the campaign was dropped.
It is estimated that Americans spend approximately $1 billion each year on Father’s Day presents.
We hope all you fathers out there have a wonderful celebration this weekend!
