Cupid is a symbol of Valentine’s Day. Cupid was associated with Valentine’s Day because he was the son of Venus, the Roman god of love and beauty.

The Roman Lupercalia, a celebration of fertility began on February 14th. The date was later borrowed by the early Christians to celebrate a martyr by the name of Valentine.

Ancient Romans believe that birds mated on February 14th.

Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.

In the middle Ages, people believed that the first unmarried person of the opposite sex you met on the morning of St. Valentine's Day would become your spouse.

Teachers receive the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, and then, sweethearts. Children between ages 6 to 10 exchange more than 650 million Valentine's cards with teachers, classmates, and family members.

A single perfect red rose framed with baby's breath is named by some florists as a "signature rose," and is the preferred choice for most for giving on Valentine's Day, anniversaries and birthdays.

The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love.

The oldest surviving love poem till date is written in a clay tablet from the times of the Sumerians, inventors of writing, around 3500 B.C.

Verona, the Italian city where Shakespeare's play lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters every year sent to Juliet on Valentine's Day.

Amongst the earliest Valentine's Day gifts were candies. The most common were chocolates in heart shaped boxes.

In America, the pilgrims used to sent confections, such as sugar wafers, marzipan, sweetmeats and sugar plums, to their lovers. They all contained sugar which was a rare commodity.

Every year around 1 billion Valentine cards are sent across. After Christmas it’s a single largest seasonal card-sending occasion.

73% of American men buy flowers on Valentine's Day!

Over 90% of Valentine's Day flowers are purchased by men.

15% of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day.

England's King Henry VIII declared February 14th a holiday in 1537 for the first time.

Alexander Graham Bell applied for his patent on the telephone, on the Valentine's Day, 1876.

On February 14, 1779, the natives of Hawaii murdered Captain James Cook the great English explorer and navigator.