When and Where Did Father's Day Start?

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By Staff Reporter , Parent Herald Jun 03, 07:13 am

Photo: (Photo : Photo by Josh Willink from Pexels)

A superman in the eyes of the children, fathers are there to support, provide, and create a safe environment for your family. That is why there is a day to remember and give appreciation to our fathers!

But how did Father's Day begin?

First Father's Day Service: 1908

It was from the efforts of a certain woman named Grace Golden Clayton of Fairmont, West Virginia, that the first known Father's day service had occurred on July 5, 1908. It was done to honor and remember all dads, especially those who died because of the devastating mine explosion the previous year in Monongah - an area just a few miles away from Fairmont.

However, the said service did not become an annual event, nor was it promoted, and only a few people have known about it.

Another woman's doing: 1909

In the name of Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, another woman was inspired to create a holiday to honor all dads. Her father, William Jackson Smart, was a farmer and Civil War veteran who raised her and her five younger brothers all by himself when his wife, Ellen, had died while giving birth to their youngest child in 1898. The idea came up to Dodd - then 27 - after she attended a Mother's Day church service in 1909.

A Sunday to celebrate fathers: 1910

Dodd convinced the Spokane Ministerial Association and the YMCA to reserve a Sunday in June regarding the fathers' celebration, explicitly proposing June 5 - her Father's birthday. However, the ministers said they need more time to prepare for their sermons after Mother's Day, celebrated on the second Sunday of May. So, they have decided on the date of June 19, 1910. On this day, Dodd gave presents to disabled dads, while boys from the YMCA decided to decorate their lapels with fresh-cut roses - red for those living fathers and white for those deceased. On the other hand, the city's ministers have devoted their sermons to fatherhood.

This event in Spokane was widely publicized that it reached Washington, D.C., and Dodd's celebration started its path to becoming a national holiday.

President Wilson's recognition: 1916

This year, President Thomas Woodrow Wilson, together with his family has personally observed Father's Day.

President's resolution: 1924

Eight years later, President Calvin Coolidge had signed a resolution favoring a day of celebration for fathers, in hopes of establishing more intimate relationships between dads and their children and impressing upon patriarchs the full level and measure of their obligations.

Through an executive order: 1966

President Lyndon Johnson in 1966, had signed an executive order for Father's Day to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June.

Finally a national holiday: 1972

It was under President Richard Nixon in 1972 that Congress has passed an act to seal Father's Day as a national holiday officially.

Indeed, the celebration of this day has come a long way. Remember to greet your fathers, fathers-to-be, and even those who act as your fathers, in this extraordinary day.