1. The history: The most popular theory of Valentine’s Day dates back to the Roman Empire reign of Claudius the second in 270 AD. The belief of Claudius was that single men made better soldiers, but Bishop Valentine opposed this. He performed secret wedding ceremonies which resulted in his arrest. Valentine was executed by Claudius’ order on Feb. 14. When he was in jail he wrote a love note and signed it, “From your Valentine” and gave it to the jailer’s daughter.
2. In the 1800s doctors would prescribe chocolate to help with heartbreak.
3. In medieval times people believed that an ‘X’ symbolised a kiss, to show their sincerity when signing their names in front of a witness.
4. The expression “to wear your heart on your sleeve” originates from when young men and women would draw a name from a bowl and pin it on their sleeves for a week to see who would be their Valentine
5. In the U.S. over $1 billion of chocolate is purchased and more than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold. In the late 1800s Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolate for Valentine’s Day.
6. Approximately 15 percent of U.S. women will send themselves flowers on Valentine’s Day. Only 23 percent of women buy flowers while the other 73 percent are men. Most men pay an average of $130 each on candy, jewelry, flowers and dates.
7. Red roses are considered the love flower because the color stands for strong romantic feelings, and the flower is a favorite of Venus, the Roman goddess of love.
8. Worldwide around one billion cards will be sent on Valentine’s Day, second only to Christmas. Women will purchase about 85 percent of them. Teachers, children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets will receive the most cards, in that order.
9. The Taj Mahal in India is one of the most extravagant Valentine’s Day gifts, given by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan as a memorial of his wife.
10. In Verona, Italy, every Valentine’s Day about 1,000 letters are addressed to Juliet, as the city is famously home to Shakespeare’s lovers, Romeo and Juliet.
11. Around 64 percent of men in the U.S. do not make romantic plans for Valentine’s Day with their sweethearts in advance.
12. Three percent of pet owners will buy their pet a Valentine’s Day gift.
13. To date, 3500 B.C. from the time of the Sumerians, the oldest surviving love poem was written on a clay tablet
14. Along with the U.S., Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Mexico, France, Italy, Denmark, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Sources: Sheknows.com, Weau.com