There is probably no place on earth where fathers are more revered than in Crete, and on Sunday, June 21, thousands of sons and daughters of all ages will celebrate the day by taking their dads to a favourite taverna, or cooking a special  dinner or giving a treasured gift.

While Father's Day originated in the United States, it is now celebrated in many countries throughout the world.  

History's first known Father's Day celebration took place in West Virginia on July 5, 1908. It is believed that a woman named Grace Golden Clayton suggested the celebration to honour men killed in a recent explosion in the area.

However, the prevailing story of the day's popularity in the United States lies with a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd. In 1909, Ms. Dodd was listening to a sermon about Mother's Day when she became inspired by her father, who was a veteran of the American Civil War, and became a widower when his wife died in childbirth, leaving him to care for his six children.

On that day in 1909, Ms. Dodd realized how hard her father must have worked as a single parent of six children, sacrificing many things so she and her siblings could have a good life.

She decided that she would hold a Father's Day celebration to honour not only her own father, but all fathers.

The idea caught on, and, over the years, slowly grew into a nationwide event. In 1966, U.S. President Johnson declared the third Sunday in June to be celebrated as Father's Day, which is also Father's Day in Mexico, Malta, Ireland, Hong Kong, Bangladesh and Turkey, as well as the U.S. and Greece.

Some countries have chosen other days in June for the holiday, and places like Finland, Norway and Sweden, celebrate it in November.

No one seems to know when the idea of Father's Day immigrated from the U.S. to other countries, but many dads across the world are happy it did!