Valentine’s Day
February 14
Yearly Date: Always February 14th
Although there is no proof of exactly who started the holiday that we celebrate as St. Valentine’s Day, it it thought that around 496 AD, the Catholic Church created a holiday feast of patron saints to replace a Pagan ritual called Lupercalia. During Lupercalia folks paid homage to the Roman God of Agriculture, Faunus on February 15th. During the ceremony a goat and dog were sacrificed, then the hide of the goat was torn into strips, dipped in the sacrificial blood and slung over the crops and women…to make them more fertile. Eeeew!
Later the romantic side to the celebration came about when a priest named “Valentine” was martyred. Supposedly this priest would marry couples in secret to prevent men from having to go off to war. Finally around the 1400s, romantic messages or “Valentines” began to appear. These were hand-written messages declaring love for sweethearts.
In the 1800s Valentine cards began to be commercially produced and flowers and candy were added to the mix.
How do I love thee?
Nowadays here’s a little insight into how this holiday has evolved:
- ♥ $13,290,000,000 – The average annual spend on Valentine’s Day
- ♥ 180 million – The number of Valentine’s Day cards exchanged every year
- ♥ 198,000,000 – The number of roses readied for Valentine’s Day
- ♥ 85% – The percentage of Valentine cards that are purchased by women
- ♥ 73% – The percentage of flowers bought by men
- ♥ $116.21 – The average spent by a consumer on Valentine’s Day
- ♥ 14% – The percentage of women who send flowers to themselves
- ♥ 61.8% – The percentage of consumers who celebrate this holiday
- ♥ 53% – The percentage of women who claim they’ll end their relationship if they don’t receive something
Although I’m certainly not promoting the commercial aspects of this love day, it’s not a holiday you want to ignore. Here’s a few ideas to make your special someone feel loved on love day:
♥ Send a Wimpy Girl eCard (duh…you know I’d mention that)
♥ Watch a romantic movie with your sweetie
♥ Celebrate with special food or a special dinner, not necessarily chocolate, but chocolate is NICE!
♥ Flowers and/or balloons “lift” love spirits, and finally…
♥ Sit your loved one down, look him/her right in the eye and declare your love! It’s a no brainer!
♥ ♥ Spread the love, Wimpy Girl!♥ ♥
Quote for the Day
“Love isn’t something you find. Love is something that finds you.”
Famous People Born in February
February 1, 1938- Sherman Hemsley, actor, “George” on the TV series “The Jeffersons”
February 2, 1937- Tommy Smothers, actor, comedian of “The Smothers Brothers”
February 2, 1947- Farrah Fawcett, TV and Movie actress
February 2, 1954- Christie Brinkley, supermodel
February 3, 1894- Norman Rockwell, renowned painter
February 3, 1918- Joey Bishop, TV star, comedian
February 3, 1950- Morgan Fairchild, actress
February 4, 1902 Charles Lindbergh, first to fly solo over the Atlantic ocean
February 4, 1905- Clyde Tombaugh, astronomer, discovered planet Pluto
February 4, 1913 – Rosa Parks, civil rights activist
February 4, 1948- Alice Cooper, rock singer
February 5, 1744 – John Jeffries, America’s first Weatherman
February 5, 1919- Red Buttons, actor, comedian
February 5, 1934- Hank Aaron, Hall of Fame Baseball slugger, once long-time record holder for home runs at 755
February 6, 1895 George Herman “Babe” Ruth, the greatest baseball player of all time
February 6, 1911 – Ronald Reagan, 40th U.S. President (1981-1989)
February 6, 1940- Tom Brokaw, popular and respected “NBC News” anchor
February 7, 1812- Charles Dickens, novelist, “A Christmas Carol”
February 7, 1962- Garth Brooks, country singer
February 7, 1966- Chris Rock, comedian, actor
February 8, 1828- Jules Verne, author, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”
February 8, Lana Turner, actress
February 8, 1925- Jack Lemmon, actor
February 8, 1931- James Dean, actor
February 8, 1940- Ted Koppel, newscaster
February 9, 1773- William Henry Harrison, 9th U.S. President (1841) died a month after taking office
February 9, 1943- Joe Pesci, actor
February 9, 1945- Mia Farrow, actress
February 10, 1893- Jimmy Durante, comedian with a big nose
February 10, 1930- Robert Wagner, actor
February 10, 1950- Mark Spitz, 7 gold medals for swimming in 1972 Olympics
February 11, 1847- Thomas Alva Edison, inventor of the light bulb
February 11, 1917- Sidney Sheldon, author
February 11, 1936- Burt Reynolds, actor
February 11, 1963- Sheryl Crow, singer
February 11, 1969- Jennifer Aniston, TV and movie actress, “Friends”
February 12, 1809 – Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. President (1861-1865)
February 12, 1809- Charles Darwin, Author, “Origin of the Species”, Darwin’s Theory
February 12, 1915- Loren Greene, actor “Ben Cartwright” on TV series “Bonanza“
February 12, 1955- Arsenio Hall, talk show host
February 13, 1873- L.L. Bean, outdoorsman…yes, the clothing line
February 13, 1919- Tennessee Ernie Ford, country singer/actor
February 13, 1933- Kim Novak, actress
February 13, 1944- Jerry Springer, talk show host
February 14, 1859 – George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., Ferris Wheel inventor
February 14, 1894- Jack Benny, actor, comedian on Vaudeville, radio and TV
February 14, 1913- Jimmy Hoffa, Teamsters union leader who mysteriously disappeared in 1971 without a trace
February 14, 1921- Hugh Downs, co-anchor “20/20”
February 14, 1932- Vic Morrow, Actor
February 14, 1934- Florence Henderson, “Carol Brady” of TV series “The Brady Bunch”
February 15, 1564- Galileo Galilei, Italian inventor, invented the telescope
February 15, 1820- Susan B. Anthony, Women’s Suffrage
February 15, 1927 Harvey Korman, comedian
February 15, 1951- Jane Seymour, actress TV series “Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman”
February 15, 1964- Chris Farley, actor Comedian, SNL
February 16, 1935- Sonny Bono, actor, singer, “Sonny and Cher”
February 16, 1958- Ice-T, actor, rapper
February 16, 1959- John McEnroe, tennis champion
February 17, 1925- Hal Holbrook, actor
February 17, 1936- Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns, greatest runner in NFL history
February 17, 1954- Rene Russo, actress
February 17, 1963- Michael Jordan, one of greatest players n NBA history
February 17, 1981- Paris Hilton, grand-daughter of Conrad Hilton
February 18, 1745- Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist and inventor of electric battery
February 18, 1920- Jack Palance, Oscar winning actor in movie “City Slickers”
February 18, 1933- Yoko Ono, singer songwriter, married John Lennon
February 18, 1950- Cybill Shepherd, actress
February 18, 1954- John Travolta, TV and movie actor
February 18, 1957- Vanna White, TV game show “Wheel of Fortune”
February 18, 1964- Matt Dillon, actor
February 19, 1473- Nicolas Copernicus, Scientist, controversial theory that the earth rotates around the sun
February 19, 1924- Lee Marvin, actor
February 19, 1966- Justine Bateman, actress, TV series “Family Ties”
February 20, 1924- Sidney Poitier, actor
February 20, 1954- Patty Hearst, kidnapped daughter of William Randolph Hearst
February 20, 1963 – Charles Barkley, American basketball great, sportscaster
February 20, 1966- Cindy Crawford, supermodel
February 21, 1927- Erma Bombeck, comedic columnist
February 21, 1933- Rue McClanahan, Actress, TV series “Golden Girls”
February 21, 1946- Tyne Daly, actress
February 21, 1979- Jennifer Love Hewitt, actress
February 22, 1732 – George Washington, 1st U.S. President (1789-1797)
February 22, 1857- Lord Robert Baden Powell, founder of Boy Scouts
February 22, 1907- Robert Young, “Father Knows Best” and “Marcus Welby, MD”
February 22, 1932- Edward M. Kennedy, Mass. Senator
February 22, 1962- Steve “Crocodile Hunter Irwin,” animal expert
February 22, 1975- Drew Barrymore, actress
February 23, 1685- George Frederic Handel, German Composer
February 23, 1951 Patricia Richardson, actress, “Jill” on TV series “Home Improvement”
February 23, 1955 Capt’n Clean, Wimpy Girl’s husband
February 24, 1885- Chester W. Nimitz, U.S Navy commander during WWII
February 24, 1938- James Farentino, actor
February 24, 1955- Steven Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computer
February 25, 1851- Pierre Aguste Renoir, French Impressionist painter
February 25, 1901- Zeppo Marx, youngest of Marx Brother comedians
February 25,1935- Sally Jesse Raphael, talk show host
February 25, 1943- George Harrison, one of the four “Beatles”
February 25, 1971- Sean Astin, actor
February 26, 1802- Victor Hugo, author, “Les Miserables”
February 26, 1829- Levi Strauss, inventor of denim jeans
February 26, 1846- “Buffalo Bill Cody”, Wild West Show
February 26, 1887- William Frawley, movie and TV actor, “Fred Mertz” on “I Love Lucy”
February 26, 1916- Jackie Gleason, actor and comedian
February 26, 1920- Tony Randall, actor
February 26, 1930 – Johnny Cash, American country western singer
February 27, 1932 – Elizabeth Taylor, English-American actress
February 28, 1928- Fats Domino, pianist
February 26, 1932- Johnny Cash, country western singer
February 26, 1953- Michael Bolton, singer
February 27, 1807- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet
February 27, 1902 John Steinbeck, author “Grapes of Wrath”
February 27, 1930- Joanne Woodward, actress
February 27, 1932- Elizabeth Taylor, actress
February 27, 1934- Ralph Nader, consumer advocate
February 27, 1981- Josh Groban, singer
February 28, 1915- Charles Durning, actor
February 28, 1940- Mario Andretti, race car drive
February 28, 1948- Bernadette Peters, actress
February 28, 1955- Gilbert Gottfried, comedian
February 29, 1916- Dinah Shore, singer, actress