Fun Facts About Fathers!

A Few Fun Facts About Fathers

Did you know that the word "Dad" dates back to the sixteenth century, or possibly even earlier? It may have originated with the Welsh word "Tad" (meaning father), which later mutated to Dad. The word "Father" is derived from the Old English "Foeder".


Animals are fathers too! Strangely enough, a father ocean catfish is a true example of a devoted father. He carries the eggs of his young is his mouth until they are ready to be born, which may take up to several weeks. During that time, he cannot eat a thing!

Penguins are another good example; Father penguins keep on their feet in arctic temperatures for sixty days or more to protect his eggs. He hides them on top of his feet, hiding them with feathered flap. Like the catfish, he cannot eat for the duration of his guard of the eggs.


Here are some other interesting facts about fathers and Father's Day... straight from the U.S. Census Bureau:

1. The idea of Father's Day was conceived exactly a century ago, 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.

2. 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.

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  64.3 million-Estimated number of fathers across the nation.
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  9,003-The number of men's clothing stores around the country (as of 2006), a good place to buy dad a tie or shirt.
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  14,012-The number of hardware stores (as of 2006), a place to buy hammers, wrenches, screwdrivers and other items high on the list of Father's Day gifts. Additionally, there were 6,749 home centers across the country in 2006.
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  23,270-Number of sporting goods stores in 2006. These stores are good places to purchase traditional gifts for dad, such as fishing rods and golf clubs.
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  140,000-Estimated number of stay-at-home dads in 2008. These married fathers with children younger than 15 have remained out of the labor force for at least one year primarily so they can care for the family while their wives work outside the home. These fathers cared for 234,000 children. Among these stay-at-home dads, 54 percent had two or more children, and 52 percent had an annual family income of $50,000 or more.
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  25%-Among the nation's 11.3 million preschoolers whose mothers are employed, the percentage who are regularly cared for by their father during their mother's working hours. This amounted to 2.9 million children.