Contrary to popular misconception, Father's Day was not established as a holiday to help greeting card manufacturers sell more cards. When a “Father’s Day” was first proposed, there were no Father’s Day cards.
Mrs. John B Dodd of Washington first proposed the idea of a “Father’s Day” in 1909. Mrs. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William, whose wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and five other children on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. After Mrs. Dodd became an adult, she realized her father's strength and selflessness in raising his children as a single parent.
The first Father’s Day was observed in Washington on June 19, 1910. And it was in 1966 that President Lyndon Johnson officially declared the 3rd Sunday of June as Father’s Day.
Father’s Day has become a day to honor your father and all men who act as a father figure. Stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends are all honored on Father’s Day.
(By Yang Jiming/Qi Qian)
