The celebration of yet another important event is drawing nearer - Father's Day. According to Father's Day Celebration, this event dates back to the ruins of Babylon. Scholars claim that it began with a young child, named Elmesu, who engraved a message for his father on a card made out of clay. This momentous event happened approximately 4,000 years ago.
The site revealed that the young boy wished his father, a Babylonian, blessings in terms of experiencing good health and a long life. While no actual physical evidence was kept by anyone during that era, the scholars believe that the act marked the beginning of the tradition now celebrated in every corner of the globe. This year, Canterbury Times reports that Father's Day will be celebrated on June 21.
Meanwhile, History.com explains that the celebration of Father's Day official began some 100 years ago. The report states, "On July 5, 1908, a West Virginia church sponsored the nation's first event explicitly in honor of fathers, a Sunday sermon in memory of the 362 men who had died in the previous December's explosions at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah, but it was a one-time commemoration and not an annual holiday."
To ensure that the roles of fathers in the community are properly celebrated, "a Spokane, Washington woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, one of six children raised by a widower, tried to establish an official equivalent to Mother's Day for male parents" the year after the first attempt at a Father's Day celebration was launched. Dodd sought the help of authorities from "local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers and government officials." Her efforts were eventually rewarded on July 19, 1910 when the first ever state-wide Father's Day celebration was held in Washington.
However, not all fathers appreciate the special day. According to the History.com report, a historian pointed out that some men "scoffed at the holiday's sentimental attempts to domesticate manliness with flowers and gift-giving, or they derided the proliferation of such holidays as a commercial gimmick to sell more products-often paid for by the father himself."
One of the most tragic figures of fatherhood today is Joe Biden, whose son, Beau, recently passed away due to brain cancer. Prior to losing his son, Joe also lost his wife and another child in a car crash that occurred in the early days of his political career. Here are some of the most inspiring quotes uttered by father and son about each other, according to Bustle.com.
During the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Beau introduced his father to the crowd. After introducing himself first, he said, "Many of you know him (Joe) as a distinguished and accomplished senator. I know him as an incredible father and a loving grandfather. A man who hustled home to Delaware after the last vote so he wouldn't miss me and my brother's games. Who, after returning from some war-torn region of the world, would tiptoe into our room and kiss us goodnight. Who turns down some fancy cocktail party in Washington so he won't miss my daughter Natalie's birthday party."
Earlier this month, Joe shared how he coped following the death of his wife and child. He said during the Class Day in Yale, "I began to commute thinking I was only going to stay a little while - four hours a day, every day - from Washington to Wilmington, which I've done for over 37 years. I did it because I wanted to be able to kiss them goodnight and kiss them in the morning the next day. But looking back on it, the truth be told, the real reason I went home every night was that I needed my children more than they needed me."
He then added, "But by focusing on my sons, I found my redemption. The incredible bond I have with my children is the gift I'm not sure I would have had, had I not been through what I went through."
