So…I know I’ve written about the history of Valentine’s Day before, so I went on a duckduckgo search (my new way to search for obscure information due to Google’s recent asshattery) and found an article about 25 fun facts on this day of love. As a romance writer, I’ve got to throw away any cynical tendencies I might have and go full romance on this special day. So…here are some of the fun facts that I didn’t highlight when I went into the history of this day in a previous blog…

People really did wear hearts on their sleeves…not real hearts, you morbid people. No, they were in the form of men (and maybe women dressed as men…one can dream) drawing names at a Roman festival to determine their suitor for the year and wearing her name on their sleeves throughout the event. Or knights (hopefully again some Lady Knights) dedicating their jousting matches to a lady of the court by tying one of her belongings — like a handkerchief — to their arm as a symbol of defending her honor.
The oldest known valentine was written in prison. The man’s name was Valentine and he penned a letter before his death to a young girl and signed it, “From your Valentine.”
To discourage suitors, vinegar valentines, also known as a “penny dreadful” were sent with mean sentiments complete with insults and rejections.
Four US towns are named Valentine or Valentines in Nebraska, Arizona, Virginia and Texas, each with their own unique traditions.
Teachers receive the most Valentine’s cards annually. Go teachers. They certainly deserve it having to deal with all the crap with banned books and erasure of DEI.
This year, the average person will spend $188 dollars to show their love on this day. Holy smokes…I must be really cheap.
We don’t forget our furry friends on this day. According to the National Retail Association, Valentine’s Day gifts for pets culminated in $1.189 billion spend in 2022.
Heart-shaped boxes were started in the 1860s by Cadbury. Although, chocolate dates back to 450 BC because, duh, who doesn’t love chocolate!
Conversation Hearts started as medical lozenges by a Boston pharmacist named Oliver Chase in 1847. Apparently, he invented a machine to simplify the production of the popular sore throat remedy. But it was his brother who found a way to print the sweet messages in 1866.
XOXO hasn’t always meant hugs and kisses. The “X” dates back to the Middle Ages when people signed documents with it as a symbol of faith, resembling a cross —often sealing it with a kiss to show sincerity. The “O” has two versions of an origin story; some link it to the game tic-tac-toe, while others believe it represents the shape of a hugging embrace.
I love this last one….Love birds are real, and they mate for life. They are brightly colored parrots who form lifelong bonds. And…the word pining originates from these birds when erratic behavior often linked to depression happens when they are separated from their mate or flock (according to the Smithsonian). Also, as an aside…two female lovebirds can form a pairing (I looked this up).

Well…there you have it…some fun facts about Valentine’s Day. I’m doing a little test with this blog, and those who read it all the way to the end might reap the benefits! LOL. So…because it is the day of love and romance, I will be offering FREE AUDIO CODES for my latest audio releases (The Next Generation Series-all three books, Pleasure Workers, and Unconventional Lovers). The first three readers/listeners to send me a DM or comment on this blog will receive codes. As always, I hope you will check out my books because even the thrillers, fantasies, paranormal, and sci-fi all have a romance embedded into the story. Just click the links below.