10 lesser-known facts about Valentine’s Day

Cupid, flowers, chocolates and cards may be all you know about Valentine’s Day, but surprisingly — there’s quite a lot of useless (or interesting) trivia to know about Valentine’s Day.

1. Valentine’s Day ranks under Christmas for being a major card-sending occasion. On average, 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent!

2. The heart is associated to Valentine’s Day as it is considered the source of all human emotions. The custom of drawing a heart shape is supposed to have come from early attempts to draw an organ that no one had seen. The symbol came on to become as a sign of love.

3. At one point in time, it was believed that a robin flying over a women on Valentine’s Day meant that she would marry a sailor. A goldfinch meant a millionaire.

4. There was a belief in the Middle Ages that the first unmarried person (of the opposite sex) you met on the morning of St. Valentine’s Day would become your spouse.

5. In Wales, wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on Valentine’s Day. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite Valentine decorations on the wooden spoons that meant, “You unlock my heart!”

6. Condom company Durex, reports its highest sales figures come around Valentine’s Day.

7. Penicillin, a popular treatment for venereal diseases such as syphilis, was introduced to the world on February 14, 1929.

8. Famous Valentine’s Day weddings: The Captain and Tennille, Elton John and Renate Blauel, Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, Jerry Garcia and Deborah Koons, and Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee.

9. The oldest surviving valentine dates from 1415. It is a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife. At the time, the duke was being held in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt.

10. Teachers receive the most valentines, followed by students, then wives and sweethearts.