Mon, Oct 06, 2008

Nation

Q&A on the News

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 06.30.2008
Question: What are the origins of Mother's Day and Father's Day?
Answer: Anna Jarvis is credited with starting Mother's Day. After her mother died in 1905, Jarvis honored her with a tribute and instructed guests to wear white carnations. Jarvis campaigned vigorously to establish a national Mother's Day. The idea caught on and in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed into law an official Mother's Day holiday to be celebrated the second Sunday of May.
Among the early originators of Father's Day was Sonora Louise Smart Dodd, who in 1910 suggested to her minister that there should be one day set aside to honor fathers. In 1924, Father's Day received the support of President Calvin Coolidge. But it wasn't until 1972 when the third Sunday in June was officially recognized as the Father's Day holiday by President Richard Nixon.
Q&A on the news