Lake of the Ozarks Vacation Rentals: 17 Father's Day Fun Facts

The weekend of celebrating fathers and grandfathers is upon us! In honor of Father's Day, we wanted to share with you some fun facts about this holiday. Share these with dad and grandpa this weekend while you're spending time together.

Father's Day Fun Facts

1. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed the proclamation calling for Father's Day to be celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of June each year.

2. In 1972, it was President Nixon who officially declared Father's Day a holiday and signed it into law.

3. Sonora Smart Dodd is credited as the founder of Father's Day, as she led the efforts for father's to be recognized after hearing a Mother's Day sermon at her church. Her father cared for his six children after their mother passed away while giving birth to the 6th child.

4. The first statewide Father's Day celebration was held on June 19, 1920 in Spokane, Washington.

5. According to Hallmark, Father's Day is the 4th-largest card-sending occasion, with over 72 million cards given every year.

6. The first Father's Day card dates back before Hallmark was established. One of the earliest records is dated back 4,000 years, when a Babylonian carved a card out of clay to "wish his father good health and long life."

7. Of the Father's Day cards bought, 20% of them are sent from wives to their husbands.

8. The necktie is consistently the most popular Father's Day gift given. Did you know that neckties could date back as far as 221 B.C.?

9. Ramjit Raghav of Haryana, India became the world's oldest first-time dad by fathering his first child at the age of 94.

10. Father's Day is far from an American-exclusive holiday. Over 40 countries around the world have a special day to honor dads.

11. The official flower for Father's Day is the rose. A red rose is worn on your lapel if your father is living, while a white rose is worn if he has passed away.

12. The word "dad" used to describe a father is said to have began around the 15th century. It's believed that it was derived from baby talk, as in many languages "dada" or "tata" refers to a baby's acknowledgement of father.

13. In 2017, there were 2 million households led by a single father. That's a 900% increase from the 1960s.

14. In 2017, Americans spent an estimated $15 billion on Father's Day gifts, approximately $133 per person.

15. According to the National Retail Foundation, most of the money spent on Father's Day gifts goes to clothing, gift cards and electronics.

16. The latest census data estimates there are more than 70.1 million fathers in the United States.

17. George Washington, the celebrated father of our country, had no children of his own.

Happy Father's Day from Your Lake Vacation! Whether you're spending the weekend with us here at the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks or staying home, we hope you have a wonderful weekend celebrating with family and friends. Planning a future trip to the lake with dad? Contact us for all your Lake of the Ozarks vacation rental needs!