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In order to honor the important role that fathers play in a family's life, a special day was designated as Father's Day. Father's Day history began at the turn of the twentieth century, and the holiday developed into a full-fledged celebration with Father's Day gifts and greeting cards.

Sonora Dodd wished to have a day where she could honor her father, a Civil War veteran who raised six children after his wife died in childbirth. Her father, William Smart, was a farmer who lived in rural Washington, and, as Sonora reached adulthood, she recognized what a sacrifice it was for her father to be a single parent and raise her and her siblings so well. She was inspired by the nationwide holiday that celebrated mothers and was determined that fathers should be recognized in a similar manner.

In 1910, she and others celebrated the first informal Father's Day in Spokane, Washington, and the movement spread across the country quickly. President Calvin Coolidge promoted the idea of a national holiday to honor fathers. He, like many, agreed with the idea of a national Father's Day as a way to bring fathers and their children closer together and cement the bonds that exist between them.

The holiday didn't become an official nationally recognized day until 1966, when President Lyndon Johnson declared that the third Sunday in June would be the official national Father's Day.

Father's Day has emerged as a secular holiday that is celebrated in many countries all over the world. India, New Zealand, Germany, France, Australia, Argentina, Brazil and Norway are just a few of the nations who celebrate a Father's Day. In America, the day has evolved to include grandfathers, uncles, stepfathers and any man who acts as a father figure in a person's life.