Interesting Facts about Valentine's Day

-In the Middle Ages men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear their name on their sleeve for a week- hence the term "wear your heart on your sleeve."
- Conversation Hearts: In 1866, candy manufacturer NECCO made the first "conversation heart"- then called "Motto Hearts." Eight billion of these candies are sold between January 1 and February 14.
-Teachers will receive the most Valentine's cards followed by children, mothers, wives, and then sweethearts.
-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.
-"Valentine’s Day originates from the ancient Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia, which was celebrated on 15 February in honour of the gods Lupercus and Faunus, as well as the legendary founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. During the festival, young men would draw the names of women from a box, and each couple would be paired until next year’s celebration. Often they would fall in love and marry."
-Esther Howland, the woman who produced the first commercial American valentines in the 1840s, sold a then mind-boggling $5,000 in cards her first year of business. Today, over 1 billion valentine cards are sent in the US - second in number only to Christmas cards.
-Women buy 85% of all Valentine's
-Worldwide over 50 million roses are given on Valentine's Day each year.
-15% of women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day.
-3% of pet owners buy valentine's for their pets
-The first box of chocolates was introduced by Richard Cadbury in 1868.
-You burn 26 calories in a one minute kiss.



Works Cited
www.windscafe.com/pdf/Jan_Feb2006.pdf
www.cityline.ca/healthandrelationships/relationships/index.asp?articleID=3018&categoryID=9...
ioframe.com/valentine_s_day_used_to_be_celebrated_on_february_15th_not_14th