Father's Day

This year Father's Day is June 18. Happy Father's Day to all the fathers in the world. This holiday traces its roots to 1910. However, it took until 1966 for US President Lyndon Johnson to issue a proclamation designating the third Sunday in June to honor fathers. Then, US President Richard Nixon signed a law declaring that Father's Day be celebrated annually on the third Sunday in June. It has been an official, permanent national holiday ever since.

A bit of history - Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd thought it might be nice to honor fathers and proposed to the Spokane Ministerial Association and the YMCA that they celebrate a 'father’s day'. She chose the 5th of June because it was her father’s birthday. The idea received strong support, but the ministers asked that the day be changed to give them extra time to prepare sermons on the subject of fathers. The first Father’s Day was observed on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington, and soon other towns had their own celebrations.
Father's Day is celebrated around the world, but many countries celebrate on different days.


“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around, but when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” ~Mark Twain