When Father’s Day is celebrated in the US
Father’s Day in the United States is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. In 2025, the holiday will fall on Sunday, June 16. The date was officially established in 1972, when President Richard Nixon signed a law designating the third Sunday in June as the national observance of Father’s Day, according to theBritannicaencyclopedia.

The tradition of honoring fathers during this month, however, began much earlier and was influenced by the widespread popularity of Mother’s Day. While Father’s Day eventually became an official holiday in the 1970s, the idea had been present in American culture since the early 1900s.Also read:Tanks, thunder, and Trump: The military parade that split America

Historical origins of Father’s Day in the United States
The origins of Father’s Day in the US are attributed to Sonora Smart Dodd, who proposed the idea in 1909 after attending a church sermon on Mother’s Day. Dodd sought to honor her father, a Civil War veteran who raised her and her five siblings after the death of their mother during childbirth.

“Local religious leaders supported the idea, and the first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, the month of Dodd’s father’s birthday,” the encyclopedia explains.

Although the idea gained initial support, it took several decades for the observance to gain national recognition. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge endorsed the celebration. Later, in 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued a presidential proclamation recognizing Father’s Day. Finally, in 1972, Congress passed legislation making Father’s Day a permanent national holiday, signed into law by President Nixon.

While the holiday began as a religious observance, it has evolved into a broader celebration across both public and private life.

Also read: Cinco de Mayo 2025: What is its significance? Here’s how you celebrate the day right

Today, Father’s Day is marked nationwide with various tributes to paternal figures through gifts, cards, and family

gatherings. The celebration underscores the cultural value placed on fatherhood and the role of fathers in American society.