Valentine’s Day is only one week away, so it’s time to get those cards and gifts bought! Here are 10 fun facts about the day:
1. The most popular theory on the origin of Valentine’s Day dates back to around 270 A.D during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius II. Claudius didn’t want men to marry during wartime because he believed single men made better soldiers. Bishop Valentine went against his wishes and performed secret wedding ceremonies. For this, Valentine was jailed and while in jail, he wrote a love note to the jailor’s daughter, signing it, “From your Valentine.” He was then executed by order of the Emperor on 14th February.
2.In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name pinned onto their sleeves for one week for everyone to see. This was the origin of the expression “to wear your heart on your sleeve.”
3. Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day in the late 1800s. Now, over 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold each Valentine’s Day.
4. The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine’s Day.
5. Teachers will receive the most Valentine’s Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets.
6. Every year, there is an average of 220,000 wedding proposals on Valentine’s Day.
7. The oldest surviving love poem found is written on a clay tablet from around 3500 B.C.
8. It is estimated that around 200 million red roses are sold each year on February 14th.
9. On Valentine’s Day, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell applied for a patent, the telephone.
10. Hallmark produced the first Valentine card in 1913. Now, Hallmark offers over 1,330 different Valentine cards to give to loved ones.