10 More Inventors Who Hated Their Own Creations
9. Anna Jarvis - Mother's Day
If you thought Mother's Day and other annual holidays requiring the purchase of flowers, candy, and greeting cards were a product of overt consumerism, you are incorrect! Mother's Day was created by a woman named Anna Marie Jarvis on 10 May 1908 for the best reason of them all: to honor her mother.
Three years prior, Jarvis' mom passed away, so she decided to honor her and all mothers with a special ceremony at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. That church now holds the International Mother's Day Shrine, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in October 1992.
As time went on, a national proclamation declared a commemorative day based on her efforts, but things began to go awry thanks to the aforementioned commercialization of the event. Jarvis' goal was always to honor her mother whom she mentioned frequently when talking about the event, but by the 1920s, the floral industry caught on and things changed.
The symbol Jarvis used to honor her mother, white carnations, were picked up and marketed for the day. This was followed with red carnations and the impending feeling of guilt everyone shares when the realization that Mother's Day is coming draws near. Jarvis often spoke against this degradation of honor toward mothers and came to hate the day she originally created to honor her mother.