|
Last month, we told you all about Mother’s Day. Now, it’s Dad’s turn! You can’t miss out on celebrating your favorite random-facts-providing, king-of-the-grill, dad-joke-telling guys on Father’s Day this Sunday, June 18.
History of Father’s Day
- July 5, 1908, was the nation’s first event exclusively honoring fathers: a church sermon in memory of 362 men who died in Fairmont Coal Company’s mine explosions.
- The next year, Sonora Smart Dodd, one of six children raised by a widower in Spokane, Washington, began trying to establish a holiday for dads. As a result of her efforts, the state of Washington celebrated the first-ever Father’s Day on June 19, 1910.
- In the 1920s and 1930s, there were failed efforts to combine Mother’s Day and Father’s Day into one holiday: Parents’ Day.
- World War II changed advertisers’ Father’s Day focus from selling material goods to honoring the troops and the war effort.
- Finally, in 1972, President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making Father’s Day a national holiday on the third Sunday in June.
Source: History.com’s “Father’s Day 2023”
Most Popular Gifts
According to RetailMeNot, the most popular gifts for Father’s Day last year were:
- A day with family: 41%
- Cash: 33%
- Dinner at a restaurant: 29%
- Gift cards: 25%
- Clothes: 23%
- Food & beverage: 21%
Looking for gift ideas or things to do with Dad? Check out these lists:
How Father’s Day is Celebrated Around the World
Although many countries celebrate Dad much the way we do in the U.S., some do it differently. In Thailand, Father’s Day is honored in December with a broadcasted speech by the ruling king, and children give calla lilies to their fathers and grandfathers. German dads get to celebrate with a four-day holiday weekend full of outdoor activities and beer. To learn about more Father’s Day celebrations around the world, read Better Homes & Gardens’ “How International Father’s Day Celebrations Honor Dads Everywhere.”
| 
