CB07-FF.08 |
|||
Father's Day: June 17, 2007 | |||
The idea of Father’s Day was conceived by Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Wash., while she listened to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran who was left to raise his six children on a farm. A day in June was chosen for the first Father’s Day celebration — June 19, 1910, proclaimed by Spokane’s mayor because it was the month of Smart’s birth. The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson designated the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Father’s Day has been celebrated annually since 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed the public law that made it permanent. 64.3 million Remembering Dad A good place to buy dad a tie or a shirt might be one of 8,685 men’s clothing stores around the country (as of 2005). <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/county_business_patterns/010192.html> Other items high on the list of Father’s Day gifts are tools
such as hammers, wrenches and screwdrivers. You could buy some of
these items for dad at one of the nation’s 14,257 hardware stores
or 5,925 home centers (as of 2005). 23,195 More than 74 million Americans participated in a barbecue in the last year — it’s probably safe to assume many of these barbecues took place on Father’s Day. <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/>, 2007 edition, Table 1225. Mr. Mom 159,000Estimated number of stay-at-home dads in 2006. These married fathers with children younger than 15 have remained out of the labor force for more than one year primarily so they can care for the family while their wives work outside the home. These fathers cared for 283,000 children. Among these stay-at-home dads:
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_households/009842.html> How Many Fathers? 26.5 millionNumber of fathers who are part of married-couple families with children younger than 18 in 2006. Among these —
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_households/009842.html> 2.5 million Among these fathers —
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_households/009842.html> Child-Support Payments 10% $2.1 billion 46% Dining with Daddy 30% 64% Kind Words from Dad 63% |
|||
Following is a list of observances typically covered by the Census Bureau's Facts for Features series: | |||
Black History Month (February) Valentine's Day (Feb. 14) Women's History Month (March) Irish-American Heritage Month (March)/ St. Patrick's Day (March 17) Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (May) Older Americans Month (May) Mother's Day (May 13) Father's Day (June 17) The Fourth of July (July 4) Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act (July 26) |
Back to School (August) Labor Day (Sept. 3) Grandparents Day (Sept. 9) Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) Halloween (Oct. 31) American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month (November) Veterans Day (Nov. 11) Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 22) The Holiday Season (December) |
||
Editor’s note: The preceding data were collected from a variety of sources and may be subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau’s Public Information Office: telephone: 301-763-3030; fax: 301-763-3762; or e-mail: <pio@census.gov>. |