Many people think of Valentine's Day as another day to exchange chocolates, stuffed animals, flowers, cards, and so much more. But, many people don't know the history on why we do this. Valentine's Day is a day of love celebrated each year on February 14, below are 14 facts you may not have known about this day.
1. St. ValentineAccording to history.com, there are more than one saints named Valentine or Valentinus, making us uncertain which one the holiday originates from.
2. A lot of MoneyAccording to the National Retail Federation, in 2019, American's spent over $20 billion on Valentine's Day. In 2020, they were expected to spend $27.4 billion! That's a whole lot of money on love.
3. First Valentine Written From PrisonThe first Valentine was written in the 15th century by Charles, Duke of Orleans. He wrote a poem to his wife in 1415. Charles wrote this while imprisoned in the Tower of London at 21 years old.
4. Sweethearts CandyThe iconic chalky heart shaped candy was first created by a pharmacist named Oliver Chase. He invented a machine for medical lozenges, which later resulted in the first candy making machine.
5. Candy HeartsSpeaking of those chalky heart shaped candies, there are more than 8 billion Sweetheart Candies manufactured each year! Necco starts making them days after February 14, to have enough each year. They make about 100,000 pounds a day.
6. A lot of CardsAccording to Hallmark, around 145 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged every Valentine's Day! According to these numbers, this makes Valentine's Day the second biggest holiday for exchanging cards, with Christmas at number one.
7. The Chocolate BoxThe chocolate box has been around for many years. According to History.com, Richard Cadbury introduced the first box of chocolates more than 140 years ago in 1868.
8. For Pets Too!According to the National Retail Federation, about 27% of people celebrating Valentine's Day last year, also planned on celebrating with their pets. They also revealed people are spending more on their pets, and the amount is more than $1.7 billion!
9. RosesWhen you think of Valentine's Day flowers, you likely think of roses. According to The Spruce, roses account for more than half of all Valentine's Day flower sales.
10. FlowersSpeaking of flowers, Valentine's Day is the biggest holiday of the year for florists, beating out Christmas, Mother's Day, and Thanksgiving!
11. Teachers Teachers are the number one recipient of Valentines on Valentine's Day each year! Classrooms in elementary schools often do Valentine's exchanges, which means that teachers are usually included as well.
12. A Small Little Town There is a small town in Texas with a pretty festive name! Valentine, Texas is a quaint little town, with a population of only around 125 people.
13. Chocolates From the West Coast California has the largest number of chocolate makers! This means that if you give, or receive a heart shaped box of chocolates this year, there's a good chance it's coming from the west coast!
14. The Gift of JewelryAccording to the National Retail Federation, people spend the most money on jewelry each Valentine's Day. They found that in 2020, people spent $5.8 billion on jewelry alone!
We hope you have a happy Valentine's Day this year! Don't forget to claim your 14% off, by entering code VDAY14 at checkout on our
website.
Sources:
31 Bits of Valentine's Day Trivia You Probably Didn't Know
Valentine's Day Facts
17 Fascinating Valentine's Day Facts That Will Probably Surprise You 
