When Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington in the USA was sitting in church in 1909, listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day, she decided that her dad needed a special day.
Sonora’s mother died in childbirth. Her dad, William Jackson Smart, who was a veteran of
the American Civil War, took on the responsibility of raising the newborn and his other five children. Sonora petitioned the Mayor of Spokane to hold an annual Father’s Day. The next year, the first official Father’s Day was held on 19 June 1910. In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed a law to make Father’s Day a permanent holiday in the USA.
The observance of Father’s Day gained popularity around the world in following years.
In Australia, Father’s Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of September. This date was first implemented in the mid 1930s and it was officially designated across the Commonwealth in 1964. We observe Father’s Day in Australia by giving gifts to fathers and holding family activities. Have fun on Father’s Day.
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