Fun Facts About Valentine's Day
Jonathon Andrews
Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching! Here’s a list of fun facts about the holiday of love.
- Conversation hearts were supposed to be medical lozenges. In the 1800s, pharmacist Oliver Chase from Boston invented a machine to make the lozenge production process easier. He ended up making the first candy making machine. Chase then went into the candy business and developed Necco wafers.
- People also give their pets Valentine’s Day gifts. As of 2021, people spend $1.7 billion for their pets for the holiday.
- Most roses sold on Valentine’s Day are imported from South America.
- A Swedish king started the tradition of sending flowers to loved ones. He brought the tradition back to Europe after he had taken a trip to Persia in the early 1700s.
- Teachers receive the most valentines, this largely due to the fact classrooms have Valentine’s Day exchanges and students give the teachers sweet notes as well.
- Japan has Giri Choco on February 14, a holiday in which women buy chocolates for men who aren’t their romantic partners.
- Thousands of letters are addressed to Juliet from Romeo & Juliet on Valentine’s Day. Volunteers of the city Verona in Italy reply to all of these letters, and give the “Cara Giulietta” award to the author of the best and most romantic letter.
- In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell applied for a telephone patent. It was called, “Improvement of Telegraphy”. His patent was approved less than a month later.
- Chocolates were first placed in heart-shaped boxes for Valentine’s Day in 1861 by the Cadbury Company.
- In the Middle Ages, men and women would draw names to see who their Valentine would be. After this, they’d wear the name pinned on their sleeve for one week. This is where the phrase, “wear your heart on your sleeve” originated.
- Jewelry is the gift people spend the most on for Valentine’s Day. According to the National Retail Federation, people spent $5.8 billion on jewelry for the holiday in 2020.
- Around 85% of Valentine’s Day cards are purchased by women. And unsurprisingly, 73% of flowers purchased for Valentine’s Day are by men.
- The oldest love poem was carved into a clay tablet, 4,000 years ago by Sumerians. It was called, “The Love Song for Shu-Sin”.
Interested in more facts about Valentine's Day? Check out our sources below!
Sources:
Jeon, A. H. and H., & Hannah Jeon Editorial Fellow Hannah is an editorial fellow at Good Housekeeping. (2021, December 17). 22 things you didn't know about Valentine's day. Good Housekeeping. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/valentines-day-ideas/a26863/valentines-day-facts/
Sullivan, K. D. and C., & novel, C. S. C. S. debut. (2021, December 22). 50 super interesting bits of Valentine's day trivia you probably didn't know. Woman's Day. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://www.womansday.com/relationships/a4702/10-fun-valentines-day-facts-103385/
Top 10 facts About Valentines Day. Fun Kids - the UK's children's radio station. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://www.funkidslive.com/learn/top-10-facts/top-10-facts-about-valentines-day/
