The idea of Father’s Day was first proposed by Mrs. John B. Dodd, in 1909. She wanted to honor her father, William Smart, a civil war veteran who raised six children on his own when his wife died at child birth. So the next year at her Methodist church in Washington state, Mrs. Dodd led the first known celebration of Father’s Day honoring the “father’s place in the home and his role in the training of children.”

This religious celebration, however, did not stay religious very long. The associated men’s wear retailers tried to turn the day into a second Christmas. They promoted ties, fishing tackle, shirts, and tobacco, which in that day the fathers wound up paying for in the long run.

A 1920’s greeting card contained this Father’s Day wish: “May you sleep as long as you want in the morni…