Today marks Mother's Day in the UK, an occasion when women are three times more likely than men to send a card in remembrance.
1. England celebrated 'Mothering Sunday' in the 1600s; marked on the fourth Sunday of Lent, the occasion honoured the mothers of England.
2. Government figures show Britain's 16 million mothers are thought to deserve an official day of rest.
3. Originally, wild violets were considered the appropriate flowers to be presented on Mother's Day.
4. Around £50 million is spent on flowers for Mother's Day. Most of it is spent on daffodils.
5. In 1996, Mother's Day in Britain was hit by a chronic shortage of daffodils. The Arctic winter set back the flowering season, sending prices soaring. A bunch of 10 leapt from 50p to £2.50.
6. Mother's Day is celebrated on different days across Europe. In 1998, a former MEP, the Portuguese socialist Artur da Cunha Oliveira, tried to standardise the date.
7. Around £36m is spent on Mother's Day cards each year - approximately £2.25 for each mother in Britain.
8. The Marie Curie cancer charity in Bridlington is offering youngsters the chance to give their mum an unusual gift on Mother's Day this year - the chance to drive tanks, fire engines and JCBs.
9. In America, Mother's Day originated in Philadelphia. The idea of honouring mothers was first proposed in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the words to 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic'.
10. In 1998, many Mother's Day cards failed to reach their destination on time in the UK because of a strike by postal workers.
