Facts About Father’s Day

Here are a few facts that you probably were not aware of regarding Father's Day.

To celebrate this observance, here are some interesting facts about the day. These facts come from Park Ride Fly USA.

1. The first Father's Day happened on June 17, 1910.

2. It took place after a successful campaign by Sonora Dodd to recognize the role of male parents with a celebration similar to Mother's Day.

3. Sonora Dodd's inspiration was her own father who successfully raised six kids alone after his wife died in childbirth.

4. A June date was chosen because this was when Sonora Dodd's father, William Smart, was born.

5. While the holiday started to spread, many men thought that celebrating Father's Day with flowers and gifts was too commercial and not manly enough.

6. In the 1920s and 1930s, some people campaigned to scrap both Mother's Day and Father's Day and just have Parents' Day-that never caught on.

7. Father's Day became more popular during World War II, when the day was used to honor troops serving in the war.

8. The observance became an official national holiday in 1972. By this time Mother's Day had already been a holiday for 58 years.

9. While Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June in many countries, this is not a universal date.

10. Americans spend over $1 billion annually on Father's Day presents.

11. According to the census, there are more than 70 million fathers in America; in 2011, an estimated 1.7 million were single fathers.

12. Common Father's Day gifts include ties and flowers, but cards are the most popular gift.

13. According to Hallmark, Father's Day is the fifth biggest card giving occasion in the world.

14. Hallmark is offering superhero cards for this year's Father's Day.

15. The rose is the official flower of Father's Day. The color changes depending on whether Dad is living (red) or not (white).

16. A recent National Retail Federation survey found that there will be a 10% increase on spending on Dad this Father's Day, with an average of $117.14 spend per head. That's still less than the $152 average spending for Mother's Day.

17. Total spending for this observance is estimated at $12.7 billion.

18. Popular gift choices for this year, according to the NRF survey include outings (golf, sports or eating out), electronic gadgets, clothing, gift cards, sporting good and music or books.

19. More than 46% of those polled in the NRF survey plan to buy Father's Day gifts for husbands, sons, grandfathers, brothers and friends. Some 53.9% will buy gifts for dads or stepdads.

20. Shoppers have gone high tech with around a quarter planning to research and or buy gifts using smartphones or tablets.