Father’s Day in the USA - a holiday (third Sunday in June) to honour fathers. Sonora Smart Dodd , of Spokane , Washington , is usually credited for originating Father's Day. Her father, a Civil War veteran, raised her and her five siblings after their mother died in childbirth. She is said to have had the idea in 1909 while listening to a sermon on Mother's Day , which at the time was becoming established as a holiday. Local religious leaders supported the idea, and the first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, the month of the birthday of Dodd’s father. I n 1966 Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson issued a proclamation that recognized the day. It became a national holiday in 1972, when Pres. Richard Nixon signed legislation designating the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day. This Day is celebrated commercially and involves the sending of cards and giving of gifts to fathers, grandfathers and other father figures. Some Roman Catholic...
