Valentine's Day By the Numbers

VALENTINE'S DAY BY THE NUMBERS A BRIEF HISTORY OF VALENTINE'S DAY O||O||O||O 200-300 A.D. 1300s 1840s At least two Christian clerics known as Saint Valentine's Day The first mass-produced valentines are sold in the becomes associated l'am ur Valentine are martyred. Ancient Rome with love and romance. United States. Late 400s 1600s Lupercalia, a fertility festival, is celebrated in mid-February. Pope Gelasius declares February 14 a day for honoring Saint Valentine. Europe embraces the tradition of exchanging valentines. VALENTINE'S DAY IN THE UNITED STATES 448 MILLION 58 MILLION 36 MILLION 150 MILLION dollars spent on candy the week before February 14 pounds of chocolate candy bought during Valentine's Day week heart-shaped chocolate boxes sold for the holiday each year Valentine's Day cards and gifts sent 62% of adults say they celebrate the holiday $ $$ Average amount they shell out $$$ Men Women 23% of adults say they purchase flowers or plants on Valentine's Day $74 About 8 BILLION Sweethearts® are produced annually. That's enough candy to stretch from Rome, Italy, to Valentine, Arizona, and back again 20 times. Most are sold between January 1 and February 14. 39% $150 of these are women What are the top flower shop picks? 61% Red roses of these 3 Other roses are men Mixed flowers Other flowers U.S. TOWNS WITH LOVE-LY NAMES Plants Rose City, MI South Heart, ND Romeo, M Valentine, NE Romance, AR Love Valley, NC Loveland, OK Loving, NM Lovejoy, GA Darling, MS Valentine, TX 8.6 MILLION dollars Americans spend on sparkling wine for Valentine's Day, making it the bubbliest occasion after New Year's, Christmas and Thanksgiving 174,000 gallons sold throughout the holiday week SSOURCES U.S. Census Bureau // CDC // USDA // National Confectioners Association // U.S. Postal Service // Gallup // Society of American Florists A COLLABORATION BETWEEN HISTORY.COM & COLUMN FIVE