Ann M. Jarvis first suggested the national observance of an annual day to honor all mothers. On May 10, 1908 she gave a carnation (her mother's favorite flower) to all who attended. The observance quickly gain wide popularity, and was being observed in a number of large cities in the United States.
On May 9, 1914, by an act of Congress, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. It was established as a time of "public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.
