While mothers have been celebrated as far back as the ancient Roman times, it wasn’t until the early 1900s that fathers officially received their day in the spotlight. After listening to a sermon on
Mother’s Day, Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington wanted to honor her father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran who raised Sonora and her five siblings after their mother died in childbirth. Thus, Dodd became known as the “Mother of Father’s Day,” and the first Father’s Day was celebrated in Spokane on June 19, 1910.
In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed Father’s Day would be celebrated nationwide on the third Sunday in June. Then, in 1972, President Richard Nixon signed a permanent recognition of Father’s Day into law. Today, we spend Father’s Day in a variety of ways with dear old dad, whether it’s hitting the links, taking in a ballgame, enjoying a barbecue or simply listening to some horrendous “dad jokes” like those in our video below.
Please, remember to share these jokes with your family at your own risk.
Fast Facts about Father’s Day
According to the United States Census Bureau, roughly
6 in 10 men are fathers. And, recent data from the Pew Research Center states that the roles of fathers has begun to change, with the number of
fathers who stay at home with their kids for any reason nearly doubling since 1989.
Here are a few more interesting Father’s Day facts:
- Wondering what to get dad this year? Stick with the basics: the necktie is consistently the most popular Father’s Day gift.
- Americans spend around $23 billion on gifts for Mother’s Day, but Father’s Day is close behind at $21 billion.
- Does dad enjoy a nice cold one? German fathers celebrate by partaking in their favorite brews all day long at beer gardens or by hiking with hand-pulled wagons filled with beer.
- Following Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, Father’s Day is the fourth-biggest day for sending greeting cards, with over 87 million cards sent every year.
- The oldest first-time father is Ramjit Raghav, a 94 year-old man residing in Haryana, India, who became a dad in 2010. He had a second son at age 96 in 2012.
From all of us here at AmTrust, Happy Father’s Day to all you amazing dads – bad jokes and all!
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