The ICD had itsorigin in the World Conference for the Wellbeing of Children in Geneva,Switzerland in 1925. It is not clear as to why June 1 was chosen as the ICD:one theory has it that the Chinese consul-general in San Francisco (USA)gathered a number of Chinese orphans to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival in1925, which happened to be on June 1 that year, and also coincided with theconference in Geneva.
June 1 has sincebeen observed as the ICD by numerous countries, especially by Communistcountries; in the Western world the ICD is usually celebrated on other days ofthe year (if at all), and there is often little public awareness about thesecelebrations. (See the section on Germany below for furtherdiscussions.) Consequently there is sometimes a misperception that June 1 asthe ICD was a Communist invention. Nonetheless, in recent years even somegroups within the United States started observing the ICD on June 1.
"六一儿童节的来历":
六一儿童节的由来儿童节，也叫六一国际儿童节，每年的6月1日举行，是全世界少年儿童的节日。
1949年11月，国际民主妇女联合会在莫斯科举行理事会议，中国和各国代表愤怒地揭露了帝国主义分子和各国反动派残杀、毒害儿童的罪行。为了保障世界各国儿童的生存权、保健权和受教育权，为了改善儿童的生活，会议决定以每年的6月1日为国际儿童节。
在此以前，世界上的许多国家就有儿童节。1925年，国际儿童幸福促进会倡议建立儿童纪念日，英国、美国、日本等国积极响应，先后建立了自己国家的儿童节，英国规定每年的7月14日为儿童节，美国规定5月1日为儿童节。日本的儿童节很特殊，分男女儿童节，男儿童节5月5日、女儿童节3月3日。我国在 1931年也曾经规定4月4日为中国儿童节。
自从1949年确立6月1日为国际儿童节以后，世界各国纷纷废除原来的儿童节，而统一为六一国际儿童节。我国中央政府1949年12月宣布：以六一国际儿童节代替原来的四四儿童节，并规定少年儿童放假一天。
