How to Know the History of Father's Day

A true appreciation of Father’s Day and why we celebrate it can be found by studying the history of how it began. Believe it or not, it isn’t just another holiday created by greeting card companies to make money. Here’s how you can understand the origins of this day.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Know that there are several factors that appear to have contributed to the founding of Father's Day in the United States. When Father's Day was first considered, Mother's Day had recently been established. Some would say it was a logical progression—if there were a Mother's Day, there should also be a Father's Day.
2. Understand that at the time that Father's Day was rumored to first be suggested, there had been a mine explosion that killed 361 men (many of them fathers) in West Virginia. Grace Golden Clayton is believed to be the one to suggest the celebration of Father's Day to the pastor of Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South. Father's Day is said to have first been celebrated there on July 5, 1908.
3. Realize that there is another theory of how the day began. Sonora Smart Dodd heard a Mother’s Day sermon in her church and was reminded of how her mother had passed away during the birth of her last child. Her father had raised all six children alone, and as she thought about all he had done, she was inspired to create “Father’s Day.” She arranged to have the first holiday celebrated in Spokane, Washington in June of 1910.
4. Know that Dodd's small idea began to spread. By 1926, there was a committee formed in New York City to make the day a nationally recognized holiday. Congress first recognized Father’s Day in in the mid 1950s. Nearly a decade later, President Lyndon Johnson approved a presidential proclamation stating that the 3rd Sunday of June would be Father's Day. Father’s Day was officially recognized across the nation in 1972 by President Richard Nixon.
5. Remember the true meaning of the holiday. Regardless of how Father's Day truly began, the focus should be on celebrating our fathers. Whether it was inspired by a widower left alone to raise six children, miners who were tragically killed or just the simple need to pay respect, dads everywhere deserve to be honored.