History of Father's Day

Father's Day is celebrated all over the world to honor and celebrate fatherhood and their influence in society, but do you know how the holiday began?

It was Mother's Day 1909 in Spokane,WA, Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd was listening to a sermon honoring mothers. Having lost her mother young, she and her siblings were raised by their father, Henry Jackson Smart,  she wanted to honor him for the same sacrifices, nurturing, guidance he gave them growing up.
Sonora's original thought was to have the celebration on her dad's birthday June 5th, but that gave the town no time to prepare. So it was on June 19th , the third Sunday in June,  Sonora honored her father and all fathers for the men, teachers, and protectors that they were. Thus creating the first Father's Day.
It took a bit of time to get the word spread about this new holiday even with the help of politician William Jennings Bryan it wasn't until 1916 that President Woodrow Wilson initiated it after attending a Father's Day party with friends. In 1924, nearly a eight years later, President Calvin Coolidge declared it a holiday , but it wasn't until 1966 that President Lyndon B. Johnson made it official. Father's day would be celebrated the 3rd Sunday of June as it was with the first. Americans at first rejected the idea for decades  thinking it was just merchants trying to make profits as they did for Mother's Day, newspapers often make jokes in reference to the holiday. Finally, in 1972 the holiday was acknowledged by the Congressional Act  permanently setting President Johnson's order.


What makes a Dad
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad
~unknown author

This Father's Day take a moment to thank you dad for all that he has done to make you,

 YOU!!