The Driftwood #46: Fun Summer Facts

May 7, 2024

Summer Holiday Facts

Mother’s Day: Second Sunday in May

• In 1868, Ann Jarvis helped create “Mother Friendship Day” to encourage friendships between mothers on both sides of the American Civil War. When she passed away in 1908, Anna, Ann’s daughter, created Mother’s Day to celebrate and honor all mothers. President Wilson declared it a national holiday in 1914. After Anna saw how commercialized the holiday became, she spent the rest of her life and money trying to get it revoked. She died penniless in a sanitorium.

• Carnations are the official flower of Mother’s Day. Red and pink are an ode to mothers who are living, and white carnations are for mothers who have passed. About 25% of the flowers bought in a year are purchased for Mother’s Day.
• More phone calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year.

Armed Forces Day: May 18th

•  In 1949, the Department of Defense was created to unite all branches of the military into one division. August 31, 1949 was the first time that all five branches were celebrated on a single day called Armed Forces Day.
• The Department of Defense is the largest of all the federal departments, and it is the largest employer worldwide.
• Armed Forces Day celebrations are focused on a different theme each year. To date, no themes have been repeated. Some themes include “teamed for defense,” “appreciation of a nation,” and “freedom through unity.”

Memorial Day: Last Monday in May

• Decoration Day was celebrated on May 30 honoring fallen soldiers by decorating their graves with flowers, wreaths, and flags. The name was officially changed to Memorial Day in 1967.
• 53% of people celebrate Memorial Day with a BBQ.
• The poppy flower is known internationally to represent remembrance. Due to a shortage of poppies in 1924, the first factory to produce artificial poppies opened in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, employing veterans who needed the work.

Father’s Day: June 16th

• Sonora Smart Dodd came up with the idea for the holiday to honor her single father, who raised six kids on his own. Her father’s birthday was in June.
• Although celebrated since 1910, Father’s Day did not become an official holiday until 1972 when Richard Nixon declared it a permanent national holiday.
• Roses are the official flower of Father’s Day, with red being dedicated to living fathers and white honoring fathers who have passed.

Juneteenth National Independence: June 19th

• When Juneteenth was first celebrated in 1866, it was known as Jubilee Day. President Biden declared it a national holiday in 2021.
• June 19th, 1865 was when Texas was forced to follow the Emancipation Proclamation signed in 1863, freeing enslaved people. Juneteenth is seen as the unofficial end of slavery.
• Juneteenth has its own flag created by Ben Haith, founder of National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation. The Texas star is in the middle with a burst around it to signify bursting with new freedom across the land. The colors are red, white, and blue, to represent America, and in 2007, the date June 19, 1865, was added along the side.

Independence Day: July 4th

• Three former presidents have passed away on the 4th of July. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4th, 1826, and James Monroe died in 1831. Calvin Coolidge is the only president born on July 4th.
• Every year, the descendants of the founding fathers gather around the liberty bell and tap it 13 times as a tribute to the original 13 colonies.
• Every Independence Day since 1777 has been celebrated with fireworks, but it did not become an official holiday until 1870.