• The first valentine was sent in the 15th century.

The oldest record of a valentine being sent was a poem written by Charles,  a French medieval duke, to his wife in 1415.

• The tradition of giving Valentine’s Day flowers dates back to the 17th century.

Red roses are expected on Valentine’s day now but it’s all because during the 17th century/ Victorian era the custom became popular. 

•  Today, Americans spend countless dollars and time celebrating this holiday.

Americans spent over $20 billion on Valentine’s Day gifts in 2019 and we’re expected to spend a record-breaking $27.4 billion for 2020 — including $2.4 billion on candy alone! 

People are expected to spend an average of approximately $196 for Valentine’s Day, with men spending around $291 compared to women spending $106.

• Americans send 145 million Valentine’s Day cards each year.

According to Hallmark, a whopping 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged every February 14 ( that’s not including all those kids’ valentines exchanged in classrooms!). This makes Valentine’s Day the second biggest holiday for exchanging greeting cards, after Christmas. 

• Americans spend millions of dollars on gifts for their pets. 

27.6  million American Households gave Valentine’s Day presents to their pet dogs in 2020, and more than 17.1 million picked up gifts for their cats.

Another crazy fact is that American households spent an estimated $751.3 million on gifts for their pets on Valentine’s Day.