| About 4,000 years ago a young boy named | | | | categories include grandfathers, sons, brothers, |
| Elmusu wished his Babylonian father good health | | | | uncles, and someone special. |
| and a long life by carving a Father's Day message | | | | While Mother's Day was the biggest holiday for |
| on a card made out of clay. No one knows what | | | | phone calls in 2006, Father's Day was the busiest |
| happened to Elmusu or his father, but the tradition | | | | for COLLECT calls. (The overall busiest day of the |
| of having a special day honoring fathers has | | | | year in 2006 for phone calls was the Monday |
| continued through the years in countries across | | | | after Thanksgiving. However, since cell phone |
| the world. | | | | usage is increasing, the "collect" calls are expected |
| The idea of Father's Day was conceived by | | | | to decline. |
| Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Wash., while she | | | | Father's Day is the fourth-largest card-sending |
| listened to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Dodd | | | | holiday in the United States, with 110 million cards |
| wanted a special day to honor her father, William | | | | exchanged annually. |
| Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran who was left | | | | Worldwide Father's Day observances in order of |
| to raise his six children by himself on a rural farm. | | | | calendar date. |
| Dr. Robert Webb of West Virginia is believed to | | | | March 14 (24 Esfand) - Iran |
| have conducted the first Father's Day service in | | | | March 19 - Belgium (St Joseph 's day), Bolivia, |
| 1908 at the Central Church of Fairmont. | | | | Honduras, Italy, Liechtenstein, Portugal, Spain |
| President Lyndon B. Johnson recognized the 3rd | | | | May 8 - South Korea (Parents' Day) |
| Sunday of June as Father's Day with a presidential | | | | Ascension Day - Germany (Herrentag; drinking |
| proclamation in 1966, but the holiday was not | | | | day, no celebration of Fatherhood) |
| really made permanent until 1972 when President | | | | First Sunday of June - Lithuania |
| Richard Nixon signed a presidential resolution that | | | | June 5 (Constitution Day) - Denmark |
| made the third Sunday in June officially Father's | | | | Second Sunday of June - Austria, Ecuador, |
| Day in the United States. | | | | Belgium (secular celebration) |
| Facts about Fathers | | | | June 17 - El Salvador, Guatemala |
| There is an estimated 64.3 million fathers in the | | | | Third Sunday of June - Argentina, Bahamas, |
| US. US Census: Unpublished data from the Survey | | | | Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, |
| of Income and Program Participation | | | | Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech |
| The number of single fathers is 2.3 million, up | | | | Republic, France, Greece, Guyana, Hong Kong, |
| from 393,000 in 1970. Currently, among single | | | | India, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia, Malta, |
| parents living with their children, 18 percent are | | | | Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Panama, |
| men. US Census | | | | Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Singapore, |
| Stay-at-home dads number an estimated 140,00 | | | | Slovakia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, |
| in 2008. These married fathers with children | | | | Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, |
| younger than 15 have remained out of the labor | | | | United States, Venezuela, Zimbabwe |
| force for at least one year primarily so they can | | | | June 23 - Nicaragua, Poland, Uganda |
| care for the family while their wives work outside | | | | July 30 - Vietnam |
| the home. These fathers cared for 234,000 | | | | Second Sunday of July - Uruguay |
| children. Among these stay-at-home dads, 54 | | | | Last Sunday of July - Dominican Republic |
| percent had two or more children US Census: | | | | Second Sunday of August - Brazil |
| America's Families and Living Arrangements: 2008 | | | | August 8 - Taiwan |
| The world's youngest father is a 6 yr old from | | | | First Sunday of September - Australia, New |
| China. | | | | Zealand |
| Les Colley (92 yrs 10 months) was the world's | | | | New Moon of September (Bhadra as per Lunar |
| oldest dad. | | | | Calendar) September 11 - Nepal |
| Among 11.3 million preschoolers in the US whose | | | | First Sunday of October - Luxembourg |
| mothers are employed, 25% are regularly cared | | | | Second Sunday of November - Denmark, Estonia, |
| for by their father during their mother's working | | | | Finland, Norway, Sweden |
| hours. This amounted to 2.9 million children. US | | | | December 5 - Thailand |
| Census: Who's Minding the Kids? Child Care | | | | As "nontraditional" family structures become more |
| Arrangements: Spring 2005 | | | | common, any nurturing man - a "big brother", a |
| In 2008 there were 1.8 million single fathers in the | | | | brother-in-law, an uncle, a neighbor or perhaps |
| US. Currently, among single parents living with | | | | another special man who is "like a father" is likely |
| their children, 16 percent are men - eight percent | | | | to be honored on Father's Day. |
| were raising three or more children younger than | | | | Nine out of 10 Americans say they look forward |
| 18, while about 51 percent were divorced, 25 | | | | to receiving personal letters and greeting cards |
| percent were never married, 19 percent were | | | | because cards allow them to keep in touch with |
| separated and 5 percent were widowed. US | | | | friends and family and make them feel they are |
| Census: America's Families and Living | | | | important to someone else. |
| Arrangements: 2008 | | | | Although e-mail, text messaging and phone calls |
| 53% of children younger than 6 ate breakfast | | | | are valued by Americans for helping them |
| and 71% ate dinner with their father every day in | | | | communicate with family and friends, the majority |
| 2006. The corresponding percentages who ate | | | | of Americans say they prefer the old-fashioned |
| with their mother were 58 percent and 80 | | | | handwritten card or letter to make someone feel |
| percent. (The percentages of children who ate | | | | truly special. |
| breakfast with their mother or father, | | | | No matter what day you celebrate, the point is to |
| respectively, were not significantly different from | | | | make Father's Day special for the man you are |
| each another.) US Census: A Child's Day: 2006 | | | | honoring. There are lots of gifts out there, but if |
| 36% of children younger than 6 had 15 or more | | | | you really want to make someone feel special, |
| outings with their father in the last month, as of | | | | reconnect them to past memories and feelings |
| 2006. Children ages 3 to 5 were read to by their | | | | through personal photos. And how do you do |
| fathers an average of 6 times in the past week, | | | | that? Easy! Check out Mimi's Memos Personalized |
| as of 2006. US Census: A Child's Day: 2006 | | | | For You, they can be personalized for anyone - |
| 50 percent of all Father's Day cards are | | | | father, brother, uncle, etc. Make this a truly special |
| purchased for dads. Nearly 20 percent of Father's | | | | Father's Day for someone you cherish and |
| Day cards are purchased for husbands. Other | | | | respect! |