The Origin of Father's Day
Father's Day is a holiday to celebrate fatherhood and parenting by males, just as Mother's Day celebrates motherhood. Typically giving gifts to fathers and celebrating as a family is the main event of the day. Father's Day is celebrated on different days in different countries. Father's Day exists almost all over the world to honor and commemorate fathers or forefathers. In the Roman Catholic tradition, Father's Day is celebrated on Saint Joseph's Day, March 19, though in most countries Father's Day is a secular celebration. In recent years, retailers have adapted to the holiday by selling male-oriented gifts such as electronics and tools. Schools and other children's programs commonly have activities to make Father's Day gifts. In the United States, the driving force behind the establishment of the celebration of Father's Day was Mrs Sonora Smart Dodd, born in Creston, Washington. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, as a single parent raised his six children in Spokane, Washington. She was inspired by Anna Jarvis's efforts to establish Mother's Day. Although she initially suggested June 5, the anniversary of her father's death, she did not provide the organizers with enough time to make arrangements, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June. The first Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane. Unofficial support from such figures as William Jennings Bryan was immediate and widespread. President Woodrow Wilson was personally feted by his family in 1916. President Calvin Coolidge recommended it as a national holiday in 1924. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson made Father's Day a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June. The holiday was not officially recognized until 1972, during the presidency of Richard Nixon.
