When I was reading Liane Moriarty’s latest novel Apples Never Fall early this year, I was having a little trouble keeping the multiple timelines straight; eventually I realized that Australia must not celebrate Father’s Day in June as we do in North America — turns out their Father’s Day is in September! The Art of Manliness has a handy list of all the dates Father’s Day is celebrated around the world, the majority of countries favouring the third Sunday in June.
So how many presidents does it take to create a national holiday? Read on for a concise timeline of the history of Father’s Day.
1908 – After a terrible mining accident killed hundreds of men in Fairmont, West Virginia, Grace Golden Clayton, the daughter of a minister, proposed the first known Father’s Day church service.
1909 – After attending a Mother’s Day service, Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington convinced the Spokane Ministerial Association and the YMCA to set aside a day to honour fathers. She suggested June 5, the birthday of her father (who had raised six children after his wife’s death), but the third Sunday in June was chosen instead.
1910 – The first Father’s Day events in Spokane were widely publicized.
(1914 – President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation making Mother’s Day a national holiday)
1924 – President Calvin Coolidge signed a resolution in favour of Father’s Day.
1966 – President Lyndon Johnson signed an executive order that Father’s Day be celebrated the third Sunday in June.
1972 – President Richard Nixon made Father’s Day a national holiday.
Below you’ll find a short video outlining the history of Father’s Day. This post is not sponsored, but I thought I’d share that History by Mail is offering 10% OFF Gift Subscriptions; use code: FATHERSDAY at checkout.