Overview

• The idea of a dedicated day for fathers began in Spokane in 1909 when Sonora Smart Dodd proposed honoring her Civil War–veteran father after attending a Mother’s Day sermon.
• The first Father’s Day took place in 1910, but federal recognition did not arrive until President Richard Nixon’s 1972 proclamation setting the third Sunday of June as the official date.
• In France, the Breton lighter maker Flaminaire kick-started a 1950 marketing campaign that led to Father’s Day’s formal adoption on the third Sunday of June in 1952.
• European observances differ by country with Spain, Italy and Portugal honoring fathers on March 19 for St. Joseph’s Day while Germany marks Vatertag on Ascension, and others choose various Sundays in June.
• Recent interviews with Sonora Smart Dodd’s descendant recount the persistent grassroots campaign that secured official U.S. recognition and shaped the family-focused tradition celebrated today.