TEN things you didn’t know about Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s day is coming … and here are 10 things that you didn’t know!

Saint Valentinus was executed on February 14^th 270 AD by the Roman Emperor Claudius II, because he secretly helped soldiers to get married, and the emperor thought that soldiers with wives did not fight very well.

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About 1 billion Valentine cards are sent around the world every year … and teachers get more cards than anybody else! So, if you want to improve your marks , you know what to do!Photo credit: valart2008 / Foter / CC BY-SA

A typical American man spends $130 every year on Valentine’s Day cards, chocolates, flowers and presents (twice what a woman spends).

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73% of the people who buy flowers on Valentine’s Day are men, only 27% are women. Also, 15% of American women who receive flowers send those lovely red roses to themselves!

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Every year, the Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet lived, receives more than 1,000 Valentine’s cards sent to Juliet.

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The longest kiss started in Pattaya, Thailand on February 14^th 2011, and ended 46 hours and 24 minutes later. The husband and wife could not sit, eat or sleep during the kiss.

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A lot of people give chocolates on Valentine’s Day, but the biggest box of chocolates ever was made in the UK in April, 2008. It weighed 1,690 kilos and had more than 220,000 chocolates inside.

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In Kenya last year you could buy 12 Valentine’s Day roses for $2.50, but in Hong Kong they cost $205! If you and the person you love are in Spain, you need about 50€.

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In Japan, February 14^th is when women give presents – usually chocolate – to men. A month later, on March 14^th, or White Day, the men do the same, normally giving white chocolate.

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And finally … don’t forget your dogs and cats! 4% of Americans who have pets give their animals a Valentine’s Day present, spending a total of about $700 million!