Sunday was Father's Day; hope all the dads out there enjoyed some time with the special people in their lives.  Were you aware of the history of this day?  In 1913, a bill to accord national recognition of the holiday was introduced in Congress.  It apparently went nowhere.  Then in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson went to Spokane to speak at a Father's Day celebration and he wanted to make it an officially recognized federal holiday, but Congress resisted, fearing that it would become commercialized.  How ironic, eh?

 

In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge wanted to promote the date throughout the entire nation, but he stopped short at issuing a national proclamation. Two earlier attempts to formally recognize the holiday had been defeated by Congress.  Then in in 1957, Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith wrote a Father's Day proposal accusing Congress of ignoring fathers for 40 years while honoring mothers, thus "[singling] out just one of our two parents".

 

In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972.  Other countries celebrate similar traditions recognizing dads on various dates throughout the year.  As the legendary radio broadcaster Paul Harvey used to say "...and now you know the rest of the story."  Have a great week!

 

GF