Five Facts About Father's Day

Father's Day is a time to honor dads for all they do during the year and to remember and honor those who are no longer with us. Here are some interesting facts about this holiday.

1) There are an estimated 70.1 million fathers in the United States, according to the federal government.

2) The holiday was started by Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Washington back in 1909 as a way to honor her father, a widowed Civil War veteran who raised six children on his own. The mayor of Spokane proclaimed June 19, 1910 as the first Father's Day--June was selected as it was the month Dodd's father, William Smart, was born.

3) President Lyndon Johnson was the first U.S. president to issue a proclamation honoring dads back in 1966 and he declared the third Sunday in June as the official date of the holiday.

4) Richard Nixon signed the holiday into law in 1972, making it an official legal holiday.

5) Strange but true, more collect calls are made on Father's Day than on any other day of the year according to Snopes.com.