06/15/2025
HOW DID FATHER'S DAY COME ABOUT???
Father's Day Origins: A Daughter Who Started It All
Father's Day is believed to have originated from a service held at a West Virginia church on July 5, 1908.
The sermon honored fathers, particularly those who had lost their lives in the Monongah mine explosion. However, this was a one-time event with no intention of establishing an annual observance.
The modern concept of Father's Day is credited to Sonora Dodd, whose father, a widower, single-handedly raised her and her five siblings.
Inspired by the growing popularity of Mother's Day, Dodd felt that fathers deserved a similar day of recognition.
In 1910, she campaigned for Father's Day with the support of her local church, the YMCA, and the government.
She initially proposed June 5, her father’s birthday, but the third Sunday of June was ultimately chosen.
The first official Father's Day was celebrated in Washington on June 19, 1910.
Despite its initial establishment, Father's Day struggled to gain widespread recognition.
Dodd, occupied with her studies, could not continue her efforts, and the holiday faded from public attention.
In the 1930s, she revived the campaign with support from manufacturers of men’s products, such as ties, to***co, and clothing. However, many viewed the holiday as a commercial ploy rather than a sincere tribute to fatherhood.
Several U.S. presidents, starting with Woodrow Wilson in 1916, attempted to make Father's Day a national holiday, but Congress repeatedly rejected the proposals.
In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued a proclamation officially recognizing the third Sunday of June as Father's Day. It wasn’t until 1972 that President Richard Nixon signed it into law, making it a permanent national holiday.
