
15/06/2025
First Father’s Day Celebration
📅 Date: June 19, 1910
📍 Place: Spokane, Washington, USA
👨👧👦 Honored: William Jackson Smart
A Civil War veteran
Father of 14 children in total
But after his wife passed away, he raised 6 of them alone in rural Washington
🧠 Fun Fact:
This celebration was initiated by Sonora Smart Dodd, one of William’s daughters.
In 1909, while listening to a sermon about Mother’s Day, she wondered:
“But what about Dad?”
As a daughter who deeply admired her father’s sacrifice and strength as a solo parent, she wanted to honor him.
She became the driving force behind the very first Father’s Day.