A brief history of Father’s Day

Ever wonder about the genesis of Father’s Day? Tim Atkinson, the dad blogger who writes Bringing Up Charlie and the book Fatherhood: The Essential Guide, has done a bit of research into the matter in this special guest post.

Although Mother’s Day (or Mothering Sunday) goes back a long, long way (as early as the Middle Ages) dads have had to make do without a special day until relatively recently.

The history of Father’s Day – Part 1

The first-ever ‘Father’s Day’ was held on July 5^th 1908 in Fairmont, West Virginia. The year before, a mining disaster in nearby Monongah had killed 361 men, 250 of whom were fathers and on the first anniversary of the disaster the local Methodist Pastor held a service of commemoration for the victims which he extended to commemorate all fathers everywhere.

The history of Father’s Day – Part 2

Meanwhile, a year later in Spokane, Washington a lady named Sonora Smart Dodd, daughter of Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, was suggesting a similar day. She was inspired by her own father – who had reared all six of his children as a single parent and thought there could be no better day to celebrate than on his birthday, June 5^th.

Unfortunately, Sonora didn’t get her act together in sufficient time and so the ‘first’ official Father’s Day was postponed third Sunday in June, where it has remained ever since. Let’s hope – if you’re a dad – there’s no delay in getting your salutation. Happy Father’s Day!

— Tim Atkinson

More Father’s Day ideas

• Craft Round-up: Make Your Own Father’s Day Gifts
• Dad Blogger: Father’s Day and beyond
• 5 reasons we hate Father’s Day
• Baking: 12 Father’s Day-inspired bakes