A famous saying in American culture is, “Behind every great man, there’s a woman telling him what to do.” Father’s Day, June 17, is approaching quickly and the establishment of this holiday is one of the reasons why that statement could be true.

In America, the invention of Father’s Day came from a woman named, Sonora Smart Dodd. She created the day specifically in remembrance of her father, William Jackson Smart, who was a Civil War Veteran and took care of her and her five siblings by himself. After their mother passed, he refused to remarry and took it upon himself to raise his children responsibly. She was inspired to dedicate a day to her father and other important and powerful father figures around the country from the creation of Mother’s Day, which was established in the late 1800s. The first recorded celebration of Father’s Day took place on June 10, 1910.

At first, the day that a woman created about men, after a day created about women, didn’t stick all too well but as the nation grew older, the recognition for an influential father figure became stronger. President Calvin Coolidge recommended that the day be considered as a national holiday in 1924, and about 40 years later in 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson called for the third day in June to be celebrated as Father’s Day. It wasn’t until 1972 though, that the day was actually acknowledged, under President Richard Nixon.

After about 60 years, the day Smart created in celebration of father figures around the country, was finally embraced by American society.

Currently, the holiday is noted for giving cards and presents to the biological father or father figure in a person’s life. Then, because the holiday falls on an early summer month, topping the day off with a family barbecue is a popular tradition, which signifies the upcoming warm weather and a father who provides for his family.