Fun Facts About Mother's Day
It's not quite here just yet, but Happy Mother's Day from Central City Toyota! If you're looking for a way to impress your mom, maybe even the whole family, try out these fun facts about Mother's Day.
When was the first Mother’s Day? Ancient societies held a day of celebration honoring mother goddesses. It wasn't until the 1600s in England that real mothers were honored with a day of prayer and family gathering.
When was the first Mother's Day in the United States? In 1870, Julia Ward Howe called for mothers to unite in an effort to protest the senseless death of sons in war. The tradition, however, ended when Howe stopped funding the celebrations.
When was the first official Mother's Day in the United States? Anna Jarvis successfully campaigned for a day to celebrate mothers. The first official Mother's Day celebration took place at Andrew's Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia on May 10, 1908.
What was the first state to officialy recognize Mother's day as a holiday? Most states held some kind of Mother's Day service by 1909, but the first state to make it official was West Virginia in 1912.
When did Mother's Day become an official day of observance in the United States? In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother's Day an official day of observance to be held the second Sunday in May every year.
What percentage of people call their mothers on Mother's Day? 68% of people plan on calling their mothers on Mother's Day. That's over 122 million phone calls. (The other 32% should be scolded.)
How many mothers are there in the United States? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were over 85 million mothers in the United States in 2008.
What percentage of women are mothers? The U.S. Census reports that 54% of women between 15 to 44 in 2008 are mothers, and 82% of women between 40 to 44 are mothers.
How many florists are there in the United States? There are over 18,000 florists employing over 89,000 individuals. Mother's Day is--as you can imagine--one of their busiest days.
How many greeting cards companies look forward to Mother's Day? There are over 100 greeting cards companies employing over 11,000 individuals in the United States.
What would Mother's Day founder Anna Jarvis think of this? Anna Jarvis fought against the commercialization of Mother's Day and even fought to have the day copyrighted to prevent widespread commercialization.
How many moms stay at home and take care of children full time? 5 million moms took care of children full-time in 2010. In 2007, 24% of married couples with children under 15 utilized mom as a full-time caregiver.
How many moms are doing double duty? In 2010, 9.9 million mothers were raising children on their own. Make sure they get an extra nice gift this Mother's Day.
Go ahead and distribute these fun facts as gifts this Mother's Day. (Though you might want to attach them to a dozen roses, too.)