With Father’s Day approaching (June 17th, don’t forget!), it is time to start thinking about what the World’s Best Dad™ might want to wake up to on Sunday morning. Before all of that though, it might be interesting and insightful to look into the origins of a holiday that celebrates the best and brightest of men around the world.
Where Did It Come From?
Father’s Day was originally conceived by Sonora Smart Dodd in Spokane, Washington. Following a Mother’s Day event in 1909 Dodd, inspired by her own father’s remarkable success in single-handedly raising six children, realised that as absolutely swell as mum is, dads could do with a little bit of recognition too.
So, she went up to her pastor and suggested that the men of the world could do with some praise. Initially, she wanted to commemorate fathers across the country on June 5th, her own dad’s birthday, but the pastor told her that there wasn’t enough time to prepare for it and so the third Sunday of June was chosen instead. The first Father’s Day sermon was held June 19th, 1910.
How Did It Spread?
Father’s Day Celebrations continued throughout the 1910s, but was not until the 1930s that the holiday began spreading nationally. Dodd was aided by manufacturers of traditionally male gifts such as ties and tobacco pipes and the Father’s Day Council also had a hand in consolidating the tradition.
Despite resistance and sometimes mockery from others seeing it as a simple cash-grab, the nation eventually embraced Father’s Day and since then it has spread to over 40 countries worldwide.
What to Buy?
Unlike mum, dad seems to be just a little bit more of a challenge to buy for, but not impossible. Here are some ideas for dad this year:
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