What Is Father's Day? Everything to Know About the Holiday's Rich History, Including When It First Started
See exactly how your dad's special day came to be.
No matter how how hard you try to stay ahead of the game, Father's Day always finds a way to sneak up on you. The next time you're wondering when you have to have your Father's Day gifts, homemade cards and activities ready for your #1 guy, keep this fact in mind: Father's Day is always celebrated on the third Sunday in June in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and other countries, which means this year's holiday will take place on June 20, 2021.
The annual holiday was started by Sonora Smart Dodd a few years after Mother's Day was first celebrated to "establish an official equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents," per History.com. It was a success from the start: The first-ever Father's Day (called Fathers' Day at the time) was celebrated on June 19, 1910 in Washington state, although it wasn't named a national holiday until President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972.
The way that we celebrate dad, grandpa and the other men who shape us continues to evolve from one year to the next. Here, take a look at the rich history of the holiday, starting with the Feast of Saint Joseph in the Catholic church. Who knows, you may even feel inspired to incorporate past traditions into this year's festivities.
Early Centuries: Catholics celebrated the Feast of Saint Joseph.
Years before Father's Day came to be, Catholics honored Saint Joseph. The day is still recognized in Irish and Polish communities around the world on March 19.
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1908: Anna Jarvis founded Mother's Day.
The idea for Father's Day came after social activist Anna Jarvis proposed Mother's Day in the early 1900s. Within six years of its inception, Mother's Day was declared an official holiday by President Woodrow Wilson.
1908: The first event to explicitly honor fathers
The first celebration for fathers in the United States has rather dark origins. On July 5, 1908, a father-themed memorial was held by a West Virginia church for the 362 men were killed in an explosion at the Fairmont Coal Company mines.
1910: Sonora Smart Dodd honored her dad at the local YMCA.
After listening to a sermon about Mother's Day, Dodd was inspired to create a holiday to recognize her father William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran and single dad to six children. She held the first Father's Day celebration at the YMCA in Spokane, Washington.
1912: Dads play a role in the invention of the water fountain.
Love can inspire wonderful things — just ask Halsey Taylor. In 1912, Taylor invented the modern drinking fountain as a tribute to his father.
1913: Fathers' Day becomes Father's Day.
Grammar geeks, your grievances with the name of this holiday are justified. While Dodd originally called it "Fathers' Day," the first bill which attempted to establish the holiday in 1913 used the spelling "Father's Day" — and it stuck.
1916: President Woodrow Wilson tried to make Father's Day a thing.
Six years later, news about the holiday reached the White House. President Wilson attended the Father's Day celebration in Spokane and confirmed that he was working to make the holiday recognized at a national level. Congress initially resisted because they were worried about commercialization.
1920s: Neckties were the #1 Father's Day gift.
Still, families around the country were celebrating Father's Day by gifting men Hallmark cards and silk ties. Neckties were mass-produced in the 1920s to keep up with the demand surrounding the unofficial holiday.
1924: President Calvin Coolidge supported Father's Day.
President Coolidge also had cold feet: He recommended that the nation observe the holiday, but failed to issue a national proclamation (a.k.a. the document that makes it a done deal).
1940s: Americans viewed Father's Day as propaganda.
Between the Great Depression and World War II, Americans were weary of anything that encouraged them to spend their hard earned money. During the war, advertisers even began telling housewives that supporting Father's Day was also a way to support their husbands away at war and the war itself.
1957: Margaret Chase Smith called out Congress.
By the 1950s, Father's Day was celebrated by most Americans even though it wasn't recognized at the federal level. Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith made a plea to Congress: "The Congress has been guilty now for 40 years of the worst possible oversight against the gallant fathers of our land. Either we honor both our parents, mother and father, or let us desist from honoring either one," she wrote.
1961: Walt Horan resurfaced the proposal for Father's Day.
During a House floor speech, the politician brought up Dodd's historic decision to start Father's Day. "Father's Day has gained nationwide observance but it has never been given the official recognition of Congress," he remarked.
1963: John F. Kennedy was named "Father of the Year."
Months before his tragic assassination, President Kennedy was named National Father's Day Committee's "Father of the Year." His was a father of two — Caroline, born 1957, and John, born 1960.
1966: President Lyndon B. Johnson issued a presidential proclamation.
President Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers and designated the third Sunday of June as Father's Day.
1967: Frank and Nancy Sinatra make father-daughter history.
A special moment in pop history came in the late 1960s when Frank & Nancy Sinatra's hit single "Something Stupid" became the only father-daughter collaboration to hit the top spot on the Billboard charts.
1970s: Dad took a break to see 'The Godfather.'
All the while, Marlon Brando and Al Pacino were giving dad some major mafia entertainment. The first movie, which was released in 1972, came out just in time for Father's Day.
1972: President Richard Nixon declared it an official holiday.
The time has come! President Nixon declared Father's Day an official holiday in 1972.
1973: Nothing changed (a.k.a. dad was watching reruns).
Since Father's Day happens in the summer, most popular TV shows were off-air, including Barnaby Jones, a CBS hit that followed a private eye as he solved cases with his widowed daughter-in-law. On Father's Day in 1973, CBS aired a rerun titled Perchance to Kill.
1977: Elvis and his dad create a magical TV moment.
The King celebrated his final Father's Day with his biggest fan, his father Vernon Presley. Elvis brought his father on stage during his performance in Omaha, Nebraska, which was filmed for Elvis in Concert, a concert movie that was released later that year.
1978: Dad was busy practicing "the Hustle."
If John Travolta can do it, then so can dad. Men busted out their flared pants and platform shoes to give "the Hustle" a try, inspired the release of Saturday Night Fever.
Amanda Garrity is a lifestyle writer and editor with over seven years of experience, including five years on staff at Good Housekeeping, where she covered all things home and holiday, including the latest interior design trends, inspiring DIY ideas and gift guides for any (and every) occasion. She also has a soft spot for feel-good TV, so you can catch her writing about popular shows like Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias, Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart and more.
Selena is the entertainment and news editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers the latest on TV, movies and celebrities. In addition to writing and editing entertainment news, she also spotlights the Hispanic and Latinx community through her work. She is a graduate of CUNY Hunter College with a B.A. in journalism and creative writing.
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