Father's Day

In the United States, the driving force behind the establishment of the celebration of Father's Day was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd, born in Creston, Washington. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, as a single parent raised his six children in Spokane, Washington. She was inspired by Anna Jarvis's efforts to establish Mother's Day. Although she initially suggested June 5, the anniversary of her father's death, she did not provide the organizers with enough time to make arrangements, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June. The first Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane.

Unofficial support from such figures as William Jennings Bryan was immediate and widespread. President Woodrow Wilson was personally feted by his family in 1916. President Calvin Coolidge recommended it as a national holiday in 1924. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson made Father's Day a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June. The holiday was not officially recognized until 1972, during the presidency of Richard Nixon.

In recent years, retailers have adapted to the holiday by selling male-oriented gifts such as electronics and tools. Schools and other children's programs commonly have activities to make Father's Day gifts.

Source: Father's Day - Wikipedia

Oklahoma is a state in the United States, lying mostly in the Southern Great Plains and Eastern Woodlands regions. Oklahoma became the 46th state in the Union in 1907. The state's name comes from the Choctaw words okla meaning people and humma meaning red, literally meaning "red people" and was chosen by Allen Wright, Principal Chief of the Choctaw Nation between 1866 and 1870. Oklahoma is a state with a rich history, including its days as a frontier state, it being a destination of recently freed slaves looking for opportunity and equality, and being at the heart of the oil boom in the early 20th Century. Most notably, Oklahoma has the nation's second largest Native American population. In honor of its large Native American population, and for tourism purposes, Oklahoma is called "Native America." Oklahoma's early history is forever tied to the Trail of Tears, which was the forced removal of the Five Civilized Tribes from the southeastern United States to present-day Oklahoma. As a testament to the state's western and Native American heritage, Oklahoma (Tulsa) is the home of the world-renowned Gilcrease Museum, which houses the world's largest, most comprehensive collection of art of the American West as well as Native American art, artifacts, manuscripts, documents, and maps. The Congressional Quarterly report, the US Census, and national political parties place Oklahoma in the Southern United States. There is a significant Southern influence on Oklahoma, but, because of its geographic location near the center of the United States, Oklahoma is privy to Southwestern, Midwestern, and Southern influences. This combination of regional influences is readily apparent in the state's largest urban areas, Oklahoma City, the state's capital, and in Tulsa, Oklahoma's second largest city. Economy Oklahoma is a major fuel and food-producing state. Thousands of oil and natural gas wells dot the Oklahoma landscape. Millions of white-faced beef cattle graze on Oklahoma's flat plain and low hills. Fertile fields produce vast crops of wheat. Its agricultural outputs are cattle, wheat, milk, poultry, and cotton. Oklahoma ranks fourth in the nation in the production of all wheat, fourth in cattle and calf production; fifth in the production of pecans; sixth in peanuts and eight in peaches. Its industrial outputs are transportation equipment, machinery, electric products, rubber and plastic products, and food processing. Its 1999 total gross state product was $86 billion, placing it 29th in the nation. Its 2000 per capita personal income was $23,517, 43rd in the nation. Oklahoma City suburb Nichols Hills is ranked first on Oklahoma locations by per capita income at $73,661. Oklahoma City is the principal economic engine of the state, centered on the finance, retail, governance, entertainment, and tourism sectors. The city has numerous manufacturing and processing plants as well as a growing biotech research and health center. Oklahoma City has a large aviation market and its location at the intersection of I-35, I-40, and I-44 makes Oklahoma City an important distribution and shipping point. Oklahoma City is home to many corporate and regional headquarters including Devon, Chesapeake Energy, Kerr-McGee, Sonic, SBC, The Hertz Corporation, BancFirst, OGE Energy, Bank of Oklahoma, Hobby Lobby, Dobson Communications, Express Personnel Services, Oklahoma Publishing Company, Globe Life and Accident Insurance, AOL, Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. and Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce. Tulsa is centered around energy, aerospace and telecommunications and the city has the nation's most inland waterport, the Tulsa Port of Catoosa. Companies based in Tulsa include The NORDAM Group, BOK Financial Corporation (BOKF), Williams, Oneok, Wiltel, QuikTrip, Mazzio's Corporation, Dollar-Thrifty, and Vanguard. Tulsa is home to an American Airlines maintenance center, the largest airline maintenance base in the world. Source: Wikipedia.org - English