Few people seem to have noticed it, but arguably 2009 marks the 100th anniversary of both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day—at least as we know them. Both began as grassroots movements. Both were begun by daughters who wanted to honor their mother in one case, and their father in the other. Both holidays followed a zig-zag path to nation-wide acceptance. But 1909 was a significant year for both holidays.

Mother’s Day began in one, small West Virginia congregation in 1907 at the suggestion of Anna M. Jarvis. But by 1909, it had spread to 46 states. Its popularity that year firmly established it as a national observance. In 1909, Mother’s Day was here to stay.

That same year, 1909, Sonora Dodd first proposed a national “Father’s Day.” Partly because Mother’s Day had become so popular, Father’s Day, too, soon gained national acceptance. It, too, was with us to stay.

(For more information, read these articles on the history of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.)