"What makes you a man is not the ability to make a child. It's the courage to raise one," goes a quote by former US president Barack Obama.

Fathers are indeed the unsung heroes in most of our lives. They sacrifice their own needs and interests for their family, especially children, but they are often not appreciated as much as mothers.

As we count down to this year's Father's Day on June 19 (Sunday), here are five quick, fun facts about the day that you may not know about:

1) The first Father's Day was celebrated in 1910

The concept was invented by American Sonora Smart Dodd from Washington, to honor her father who raised his six children, after their mother died in childbirth. June was her father's birthday month. It was initially celebrated in Washington, before spreading around the world.

2) The day commonly falls on the third Sunday of June every year

This means that the day of celebrations vary from year to year. Some countries celebrate the day on a totally different day/date though. For example, Australia observes the day on the first Sunday of September, while Finland celebrates on the second Sunday of November. In Germany, the day is observed on Ascension Day, the 40th day of Easter, while in Thailand, Father's Day is celebrated on King Bhumibol's birthday on Dec 5 every year, as he is considered the Father of the nation!

3) It became an official holiday only in 1972

However, the day only became official in 1966, when then President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed that the third Sunday in June be officially known as Father's Day. It became a national holiday in the US in 1972, when the then President Richard Nixon signed it into law.

4) The day is great for business

Unsurprisingly, Father's Day is great for business, especially for gifts and cards. According to Hallmark, Father's Day is the fourth largest card sending day ever in the US, behind Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, and Christmas. Around 72 million cards are purchased every year in America alone. Americans are also expected to spend about US$20 billion on gifts for fathers this year - which is still behind the US$31.7 billion spent on Mother's Day gifts.

5) The official flower of Father's Day is rose

You may think that men are not fond of flowers, but roses are indeed the official flower of Father's Day. Wearing a red rose signifies honoring a living father, while a white one represents a deceased one. This tradition, however, is now almost forgotten.

So there you go - five quick facts about Father's Day, that you may not already know about.

Happy advanced Father's Day to all fathers out there!


Source: mentalfloss.com, mykidstime.com, nprorg, funkidslive.com
Photo source: Unsplash