It wasn’t until 1886, when a newspaper editor for the Punxsutawney Spirit came up with the idea of Punxsutawney Phil, proclaiming him the official weather-forecasting groundhog. The first official Groundhog Day was held the following year in 1887. This year, 2021, marks the 134th year of the tradition. While the record keeping was spotty in the early years, Phil has seen his shadow more times than not during the more than century-old event. Phil's first official shadow sighting came in 1887, followed by several years of no official recordings. The first front page coverage came in 1908, when Phil saw his shadow. In 1913, John Frampton was the first to grab photo for the newspaper of Phil spotting his shadow.