7 Interesting Facts About Father's Day [Infographic]

With Father’s Day just around the corner, we thought we’d share some interesting facts and statistics about Fathers Day with you. We’ve summarized a few of the highlights below, but feel free to skip the read, and go straight to the cool infographic we’ve included below.  

The History of Fathers Day

The first known record of a Father being wished dates back 4000 years when a boy named Elmesu etched wishes for his father on a clay card in Babylon. Father’s Day was first celebrated by Ms Sonora Louise Smart Dodd in Washington State on 19 June 1910, but was only declared an official holiday 58 years after Mother’s Day by President Richard Nixon in 1972. Today, Father’s Day is celebrated around the world on different days. In South Africa, the USA and 50 other countries in the world, Fathers Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June, while other countries celebrate it on the second Sunday in June. Here’s a full list of Fathers Day dates around the world, including Father's Day in South Africa.

Youngest Father

The record for the youngest man to father a child is held by 13 year old Alfie Patten in the UK in 2009.

Oldest Father

The record for the oldest man to father a child was set by 94 year old Ramjit Raghav in India in 2011.

Fathers Day Gifts

While not quite in the same league as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day is still big business. Stores and businesses around the world run irresistible specials on Fathers Day gifts as much as a month in advance, and these can be bought online or in the shops. As it turns out 4/10 people choose to buy gifts for Dad from department stores, while 3/10 prefer to shop online for their Father’s Day gifts. In 2012, the average person spent about $ 117 on Father’s Day presents, with the total spend coming to around $ 12.7 billion.

For more interesting Fathers Day facts and statistics, we’ve included this infographic below.

What did you do or get for Father’s Day? We’d love to hear all about it in the comments below, and if you enjoyed the infographic, please share it with others.