In1909, Sonora Dodd was sitting in her church in Spokane, Washington, listening to a Mother's Day sermon( ) when she had an idea: There should be a day to honor fathers. Sonora's father, William Smart, had raised Sonora and her five siblings all by himself after his wife, Ellen, died. Sonora felt her father  _ a special day, so she went to work persuading her community to set aside Sunday to celebrate dads. Moved by her action, the following year, the mayor of Spokane declared June 19 to be the first Father's Day celebration .This date was selected because it was Smart's birthday. News of this day for dads spread across the country. In 1966, President Lyndon Johonson designated the third Sunday of every June as Father's day. However, it was not until 1972-62 years after the first official celebration in Spokane-that President Richard Nixon signed a law making Father's Day an everlasting holiday. Countries all over the world have special days to honor their dads. In Catholic countries like Spain and Portugal, dad is honored on March 19 during the feast of St.Joseph. In Thailand ,Father's Day is celebrated on the king's birthday. The current king, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was born on December5.In Canada, people wear roses on Father's Day. There are currently 70.1 million dads in the United States. Many of these dads are spending more time with their kids than dads did in the past ,according to a recent study by the Pew Research Centre .Years ago, taking care of kids was considered a job mainly for women. Now, however, the roles are sometimes overturned .According to the US Census Bureau ,in 2010,154,000 dads stayed at home to take care of their kids ,and 1.8 million dads raised their kids alone like Sonora's dad. On Sunday, dads across the country will open cards and gifts. Whether they know it or not , they have _ someoneto thank for the special recognition. Why did the mayor agree to celebrate the Father's Day?
He liked Sonora's father. He understood Sonora's story. He wanted to encourage the public. He knew dads in the US are hard working.