Mother's Day is a holiday honoring motherhood that is observed in different forms throughout the world.  The American incarnation of Mother's Day was created by Anna Jarvis in 1908.  Following her mother's 1905 death, Anna conceived Mother's Day as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children and their families.         After gaining financial backing from a Philadelphia department store owner named John Wanamaker, in May 1908 she organized the first official Mother's Day celebration at a Methodist church in Grafton, West Virginia. That same day also saw thousands of people attend a Mother's Day event at one of Wanamaker's retail stores in Philadelphia.

   Mother's Day became an official U.S. holiday in 1914.  The holiday continues to be celebrated by presenting mothers and other women with gifts and flowers. Families might also celebrate by giving mothers a day off from activities like cooking or other household chores.  At times Mother's Day has also been a date for launching political or feminist causes. In 1968, Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., used Mother's Day to host a march in support of underprivileged women and children.  In the 1970's, women's groups also used the holiday as a time to highlight the need for equal rights and access to childcare.