For Sonora Smart Dodd, attending a Methodist church service in Spokane, Washington, proved to be life-changing. On that particular Sunday in 1909, the minister based his sermon on the newly established Mother’s Day celebration. But Dodd felt that dads, too, should have a special day set aside in their honor. After all, her father was a widowed Civil War veteran who had singlehandedly raised six children, with Sonora being the only girl.

Dodd spent the next year petitioning her local community and later her state government. Washington state celebrated its first official Father’s Day on June 19, 1910. Over the years, the celebration spread from state to state until President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance for America’s fathers in 1972.

How much do you know about this June tradition? Try your hand at this multiple-choice quiz.

1. Over the years, the most popular Father’s Day gift has been _____

a.  candy

b.  a necktie

c.  flowers

d.  golf balls

2. The official Father’s Day flower is the _____

a.  orchid

b.  carnation

c.  hibiscus

d.  rose

3. What percentage of Americans celebrate Father’s Day? 

a.  58%

b.  65%

c.  76%

d.  81%

4. Today’s average age of first-time fathers is _____

a.  24

b.  26

c.  28

d.  30

5. One in _____ American homes has no father there. 

a.  three

b.  four

c.  five

d.  six

6. In India, a man became the world’s oldest first-time dad at age _____

a.  83

b.  88

c.  94

d.  96

7. Americans spend ____ less on Father’s Day than they do on Mother’s Day.

a.  25%

b.  29%

c.  32%

d.  38%

8. How many American dads are single?

a.  1 million

b.  2 million

c.  3 million

d.  4 million

9. In “Let’s Make Love” (1960), Marilyn Monroe sings “My Heart Belongs to Daddy.” What is unusual about this?

a.  She never knew who her

     father was.

b.  She always hated the song.

c.  Her mother forced her to sing it.

d.  A professional singer’s voice

     was used instead.

10. Guinness World Records claims that a Moroccan sultan fathered how many children?

a.  492

b.  687

c.  833

d.  1,042 

Answer Key:

1 - B

2 - D

3 - C

4 - D

5 - A

6 - D

7 - D

8 - B

9 - A

10 - D