Fun Facts--Father's Day

This year, Father's Day will be celebrated on my birthday--June 16th! Unfortunately, John and I both lost our fathers, but we have two NEW fathers in the family--my brother and my stepson.

Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and fatherhood. Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June, but it is also celebrated widely on other days. Father's day is a commercial holiday and was created to complement Mother's Day. We wouldn't want to leave out the men, would we?

Father's Day was founded in Spokane, Washington at the YMCA in 1910. Sonora Smart Dodd wanted to honor her father, a Civil War veteran who raised his six children alone. Ms. Dodd didn't raise national awareness until the 1930s.

In 1966, President Lydon B Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Six years later, President Richard Nixon signed the law, making the day a permanent national holiday.

Around the world:

In a few Catholic countries, Father's Day is celebrated on the Feast of St Joseph.

In Shanghai, China, the holiday was first celebrated in 1945.

Celebrated on Ascension Thursday, Father's Day in Germany is celebrated differently from other parts of the world. In Northern Germany, the day is called Mannertag (men's day) or Herrentag (gentlemen's day) groups of males do a hiking tour with one or more wagons pulled by manpower. The wagons hold wine or beer and traditional food. 

Out of the 27 states in the European Union, Romania was the only one without an official Father's Day prior to 2010.

Father's Day in Taiwan is observed on August 8th. In Mandarin Chinese, the pronunciation of both the number 8 and the month of August is very similar to the character which means father. 

In Thailand, Father's Day is set as the birthday of the king. December 5th is the birthday of the current monarch.

Did you know?

George Washington had no children of his own. Researchers believe that childhood illnesses may have rendered him sterile. 

For a short time, Kurt Vonnegut was Geraldo Rivera's father-in-law. Rivera's marriage ended because of his womanizing. Kurt Vonnegut included an unflattering character named Jerry Rivers (a chauffeur) in a few of his books.

In the underwater world of the seahorse, it's the male that gets to carry the eggs and birth the babies.

Nearly 95 million Father's Day cards were given last year in the United States, making Father's Day the fourth-largest card-sending occasion.

Sons and daughters send 50 percent of the Father's Day card to their dads. Nearly 20 percent of Father's Day cards are purchased by wives for their husbands. 

Mr. Mom is becoming a more common sight at parks across America with 154,000 estimated “stay-at-home” dads. 

More phone calls are made in the US during Mother's Day than Father's Day.

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