Father's Day 2020: 4 Things To Know About The Holiday's History

Father's Day in 2020 might be taking place during a pandemic, but it doesn't mean Americans won't take part in celebrating their dads on Sunday.

This year, 75 percent of Americans plan to celebrate Father's Day, according to the National Retail Federation.

It means that dads across the country will receive their standard share of socks, ties, coffee mugs, craft beers and poorly painted homemade cards. It is a holiday that we all know well, but one with a history that rarely gets discussed.

Here are four things you might not know about Father's Day, including the stories of the women who founded it.

What Is The Origin Story Of Father's Day?

In 1908, Grace Golden Clayton orchestrated the first known Father's Day service in Fairmont, West Virginia, after hundreds of local men died in a mining accident.

Clayton, the daughter of a reverend, proposed a service to honor all fathers, especially those who died in the accident, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac. However, it did not become an annual event, and only people in the area knew about it.

A year later, in Spokane, Washington, Sonora Smart Dodd came up with the idea of Father's Day while attending a Mother's Day service.

Dodd's father had become a widower when she was 16, and he took on the responsibility of raising six children alone, according to National Geographic. Dodd created a petition for the first Father's Day, which she wanted to celebrate on her dad's birthday in early June.

Dodd recruited local church communities and recreational centers to participate in the day. Still, the official date was pushed to late June, so the congregations would have more time to prepare, according to National Geographic.

The resulting celebration became an annual event in the Washington area, and slowly gained popularity throughout the rest of the country.

Dodd would spend the rest of her life campaigning to make the day a national holiday.

When Did Father's Day Become A National Holiday?

Father's Day didn't become a national holiday until 1972. By comparison, Mother's Day became an official U.S. holiday in 1914.

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed an executive order in 1966, stating that the holiday should be celebrated on the third Sunday in June. However, it would take six more years for Congress to pass an act officially making Father's Day a national holiday in 1972.

Who Was The First U.S. President To Honor The Day?

While the holiday did not become official until the second half of the 20th century, President Woodrow Wilson honored the day in 1916.

Shortly thereafter, President Calvin Coolidge signed a resolution in 1924 urging state governments to observe Father's Day.

Coolidge explained the reasoning: "To establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations."

How Has Spending Money On Father's Day Changed?

The National Retail Federation has tracked the average expected spending of Americans for Father's Day-related gifts since 2009.

• 2009: $90.89
• 2010: $94.32
• 2011: $106.49
• 2012: $117.14
• 2013: $119.84
• 2014: $113.80
• 2015: $115.57
• 2016: $125.92
• 2017: $134.75
• 2018: $132.82
• 2019: $138.97
• 2020: $148.58

The total expected spending for all Americans has gone from $9.36 billion in 2009 to $17 billion in 2020, according to the NRF.