Father’s Day, contrary to popular misconception, was not established as a holiday in order to help greeting card manufacturers sell more cards. In fact when a “father’s day” was first proposed there were no Father’s Day cards!
Mrs. John B Dodd, of Washington, first proposed the idea of a “father’s day” in 1909. Mrs. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father William, whose wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. It was after Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent.
The first Father’s Day was observed on June 19,1910 in Washington. And it was in 1966 that President Lyndon Johnson officially declared the 3rd Sunday of June as Father’s Day.
Father’s Day has become a day to not only honor your father, but all men who act as a father figure. Stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends are all honored on Father’s Day.
翻译：
父亲节与普遍的误解不同的是，它并非是一个为了帮助贺卡制作厂商销售更多贺卡的节日。事实上，当“父亲节”的提议首先被提出时，父亲节贺卡根本就不存在。
华盛顿州的约翰·布鲁斯·多德夫人在1909年首先提出了设立“父亲节”的提议。多德夫人希望有一个特殊的日子来向她的父亲———威廉·斯玛特表示敬意。他的妻子在生他们第六个孩子时因难产而死。斯玛特先生在华盛顿州东部乡下的农场里独自养大了六个孩子。多德太太成人后她才意识到她的父亲一个人养大孩子所表现的力量和无私。
1910年的6月19日人们在华盛顿庆祝了第一个父亲节。林登·约翰逊总统最终于1966年宣布每年六月的第3个星期天为父亲节。
父亲节现在已经成为向父亲及所有扮演父亲角色的人表达敬意的节日。继父，伯父，祖父所有成年男性都将在父亲节受到尊敬。
