Father's Day comes around once a year in the USA, and it's never too early to start planning how to celebrate dear ole dad. You might want to cook up a special Father's Day brunch or breakfast or select just the right Father's Day gift. A Father's Day card with a meaningful message written inside (or perhaps a good dad joke if that's more his style) can sure make him smile and feel loved too.
But first of all, when is Father's Day? And why does it change dates every year? Read on for all you need to know about when it falls in 2024 and 2025 plus some interesting history behind the holiday and the date it falls on.
When is Father's Day 2024, exactly?
No need to worry about what to buy for Dad just yet. There's still some time to order a gift for him or get craft with a DIY gift idea for dad. This year, Father's Day is on Sunday, June 16, 2024. Next year it will fall on Sunday, June 15, 2025.
Is Father's Day on the same date every year?
Unlike holidays like July 4 or New Year's Day, the date of the Father's Day celebration changes days year-to-year. What does stay the same is always falls on the third Sunday in June, and so you can mark the calendar accordingly.
What is the history of Father's Day?
Unlike Mother's Day, which has pretty somber origins, Father's Day has relatively light roots—and was actually created by a woman. According to History.com, back in 1909, a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, "tried to establish an official equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents." She went around to local businesses to gather support for her idea, and on June 19, 1910, the state of Washington celebrated the first-ever Father's Day.
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Although the event inspired President Woodrow Wilson and President Calvin Coolidge to urge Americans to acknowledge a day for dads during their administrations, it still wasn't an official holiday. Unfortunately, the enthusiasm for the commemoration didn't last long. During the '20s and '30s, people tried to do away with both Mother's Day and Father's Day and replace them with Parents’ Day instead.
Then, during the Great Depression, retailers made a push to commercialize the holiday in an attempt to make money during dire financial times. And as World War II started, people began to use Father's Day as a way to pay respect to American troops.
Finally, several decades later, on May 1, 1972, President Richard Nixon signed Proclamation 4127, which declared Father's Day as a national holiday, with the first official celebration on June 18, 1972. "Let each American make this Father's Day an occasion for renewal of the love and gratitude we bear to our fathers, increasing and enduring through all the years," he wrote in the document.
Why Is Father's Day in June?
The date originally fell on June 19, 1910, the birthday of Sonora Smart Dodd's father, American Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart. It was later changed to the third Sunday in June.
Jennifer Aldrich was the editorial assistant for CountryLiving.com.
