The History of Father’s Day: How did it begin?

Who invented the holiday we celebrate?

Transcript

00:00 This year, Father's Day falls on Sunday, June 16th. Unlike Mothering Sunday, a traditional

00:06 Christian holiday in the UK, the premise behind Father's Day is a lot more modern, with it

00:11 taking longer to become fully acknowledged. The origins of the holiday can be traced back

00:16 to the early 20th century, when American soldiers stationed in Britain during World War II introduced

00:23 the celebration to us Brits. But the day itself is thought to have originated in the States,

00:28 starting with a young woman called Sonora Louise Smart. Miss Smart's mother unfortunately

00:33 died in childbirth with her sixth child, leaving Sonora's father to bring up the family. As

00:38 a result, she asserted the idea that dads should be celebrated as well as mothers. After

00:43 several local clergymen accepted her idea, it's thought that June 19th 1910 was the first

00:49 unofficial Father's Day. Nowadays, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June

00:54 in the United Kingdom. Interestingly, it's been reported that 7 million Father's Day

00:58 cards are sent in the UK each year, compared to the 13 million Mother's Day cards.