Father's Day, by the numbers
It's estimated that 94 million Father's Day cards are exchanged annually, according to Hallmark.
June 17th, 2012
08:00 AM ET
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Father's Day, by the numbers

Every year on the third Sunday in June, we celebrate Dad with his own day.  The idea sprang from the mind of one woman who thought that fathers, just like mothers, deserved their own holiday. Sonora Louise Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, celebrated the first Father's Day on June 19, 1910 - her father's birthday.

In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge publicly supported a national Father's Day, and in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed it a national holiday. Following up in 1972, President Richard Nixon signed a permanent U.S. Father's Day into law, observed on the third Sunday in June.

Father's Day is also the fourth-largest card-sending occasion. Here's a breakdown of the other intriguing numbers that follow this holiday.

70.1 million – The estimated number of fathers in the United States

24.7 million – The number of married men with children under 18 at home in the United States

1.7 million – The number of single fathers in the United States in 2011.

170,000 – The number of single fathers raising three or more children.

176,000 – Estimated number of stay-at-home dads in the U.S. in 2011.

94 million – Estimated number of Father’s Day cards exchanged annually, according to Hallmark.

$117.14 – Estimated amount that the average person will spend on Father’s Day gifts in 2012, according to the National Retail Federation.

$12.7 billion – Estimated amount that consumers will spend on Father’s Day cards and gifts in 2012.

1910 – The first Father’s Day is celebrated in Spokane, Washington.

1972 – The year President Richard Nixon signed the law that designates the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day.

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Just for fun – daddies, papas and fathers

92 – Age of Les Colley of Australia at the birth of his son Oswald in 1992. He holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest man to father a child.

0 – Number of children fathered by Presidents George Washington, James Madison, Andrew Jackson, James Polk, James Buchanan and Warren Harding.

$1.22 billion – Estimated sales at pizza restaurant Papa John’s in 2011, according to Hoovers.com

1 – Highest chart position on the Billboard Hot 100 for “Papa Don’t Preach” by Madonna.

$15 – Cost of a loaf of “Papa Don’t Peach” bread made by Breadwinner bakery in Atlanta.

3 – Number of awards won by the Temptations’ song “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” at the 1972 Grammy Awards.

50 – Number of years the Rolling Stones have been together with Mick Jagger as lead singer.

7 – Number of children fathered by Mick Jagger.

Here on CNN.com, we're also celebrating "Dear Old Dad" with our special coverage. Be sure to check this ultimate guide to the stories that pay tribute to Dad, whether he's no longer with us or enjoying Sunday's holiday on the couch with his favorite meal, and his favorite people.

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Filed under: Father's Day • Holidays
March 30th, 2012
01:57 PM ET
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You're not going to win Mega Millions jackpot

“Never tell me the odds.”
- Han Solo in "The Empire Strikes Back"

Look. We know that you're aware the odds of winning Friday night’s record-breaking $640 million Mega Millions jackpot, or any Mega Millions jackpot, are astronomical.

We also know that for the people who win it, the odds matter not one bit. Someone is going to win at least a share of the prize - if not Friday, then in some subsequent drawing. But since we’re covering the historic jackpot and showing people in long lines giddily talking about how many cars or yachts or Dippin' Dots they’d buy if they win, we feel compelled to remind you:

It’s not going to be you.

The odds of a ticket winning a Mega Millions jackpot is 175,711,536 to 1. As Han Solo’s talkative robotic friend would tell you, you have a much, much better chance (1 in 3,720!) of navigating an asteroid field successfully. We didn’t exactly vet that, but you know you’d smash your ship into the rocks. And who are we to question protocol droids fluent in more than 6 million forms of communication?

To hammer home the point, here are a few other unlikely scenarios that, we’re sorry to say, are far more likely than you taking home a jackpot.

From the Harvard School of Public Health:

- Chances of dying from a bee sting: 1 in 6.1 million. Chance you will win the Mega Millions jackpot: 1 in 175.7 million.

- Chance you will be die from being struck by lightning: 1 in 3 million. Chance you will win the Mega Millions jackpot: 1 in 175.7 million.

From the University of Maryland Medical Center:

- Chance of having conjoined twins: 1 in 200,000. Chance you will win the Mega Millions jackpot: 1 in 175.7 million.

From U.S. Hole in One, which insures golf prizes for holes in one:

- The chance of an amateur golfer making a hole in one on a par-3 hole is about 1 in 12,500. Chance you will win the Mega Millions jackpot: 1 in 175.7 million.

- The chance of a golfer hitting a hole in one on consecutive par-3 holes: 1 in about 156 million. Chance you will win the Mega Millions jackpot: 1 in 175.7 million.

From a 2011 State Farm study on collisions between vehicles and deer:

- The chance of hitting a deer with a vehicle in Hawaii, the state where State Farm says deer-vehicle collisions are least likely, is 1 in 6,267. Chance you will win the Mega Millions jackpot: 1 in 175.7 million.

From the National Weather Service:

- The chance of being struck by lightning over an 80-year lifetime: 1 in 10,000. Chance you will win the Mega Millions jackpot: 1 in 175.7 million.

From the Florida Museum of Natural History, based on U.S. beach injury statistics in 2000:

- Chance of drowning and other beach-related fatalites: 1 in 2 million. Chance you will win the Mega Millions jackpot: 1 in 175.7 million.

- Chance of being attacked by a shark: 1 in 11.5 million. Chance you will win the Mega Millions jackpot: 1 in 175.7 million.

What are the odds you will win? Weigh in below, or on Twitter using #whataretheodds.

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Filed under: Lotto
January 24th, 2012
03:47 AM ET
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Truth Squad: Fact checking Monday's debate

CNN examines statements by Republican presidential candidates during Monday night's CNN Republican debate in Tampa, Florida.

Mitt Romney said Newt Gingrich lobbied during Medicare Part D battle

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney accused former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of having lobbied in favor of Medicare Part D, the federal program that provides drugs for senior citizens. Romney said other congressmen said they were lobbied by Gingrich at the time.

The exchange between the two candidates included the following  statements: "You have congressmen who say that you came and lobbied them with regards to Medicare Part D." - Romney

"I didn't lobby them." - Gingrich

"It is not correct to describe public citizenship, having public advocacy as lobbying. Every citizen has the right to do that." - Gingrich

"If you're getting paid by health companies, if your entities are getting paid by health companies that could benefit from a piece of legislation and you then meet with Republican congressmen and encourage them to support that legislation, you can call it whatever you'd like. I call it influence peddling. It's not right." - Romney FULL POST

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Filed under: Florida • Mitt Romney • Newt Gingrich • Politics
January 17th, 2012
06:45 AM ET
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Truth Squad: 3 checks on Monday's GOP debate

CNN examines three statements by Republican presidential candidates during Monday night's Fox News-Wall Street Journal debate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Romney on releasing his tax returns

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said he probably would release a tax return in April - though he declined to commit - asserting that recent GOP nominees waited until tax season in election years.

Romney's statement about his tax return came after Texas Gov. Rick Perry pushed him to release his tax information, saying his was already out.

"Mitt, we need for you to release your income tax so the people of this country can see how you made your money, and I think that's a fair thing," Perry said.

FULL POST

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Filed under: Mitt Romney • Newt Gingrich • Politics • Rick Perry • South Carolina