06/16/2026
Did you know...
Father’s Day in the United States began in 1910 when Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, organized the nation’s first recorded celebration on June 19, 1910, at the Spokane YMCA. She was inspired after hearing a sermon on Mother’s Day, which led her to propose a similar holiday for fathers. Her father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran, had raised her and her siblings as a single parent, and she wanted to honor his role. The first celebration was held locally on her father's birthday, June 19, 1910. While the idea spread, Father's Day did not become widely accepted until decades later . Finally, 58 years after Mother's Day became a national holiday, President Richard Nixon signed legislation making the third Sunday in June a permanent national holiday to honor fathers.
So, while the holiday’s roots trace back to 1910, it became a recognized U.S. holiday in 1972.
