Each February, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged, while individuals send notes with expressions of love. All of these activities take place in the name of the somewhat elusive “Valentine.” But, who is Valentine? This Valentine’s Day, History.com has created a fully interactive resource to teach site visitors exactly why they are buying those dozens of roses each year. History.com’s Valentine’s Day feature, which includes the complete history of Valentine’s Day, various Valentine’s Day- related video clips and even legendary love letters from one of history’s greatest couple, is available now at .

History.com’s Valentine’s Day destination Web site includes the following Valentine’s Day history and trivia:

* Who is Valentine? The Web site details Valentine’s Day’s mysterious history including who Valentine is and how today the Catholic Church recognizes not one, but three different saints named Valentine whom were martyred. Other historical tidbits include how Valentine supposedly sent the original “valentine” greeting himself to a young girl he fell in love with while in prison, signing the letter with the now-famous signature, “from your Valentine.” * Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14? Answers to this question vary. Some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated to commemorate the death of Valentine while others claim the Christian Church decided to celebrate the Valentine’s feast in the middle of February in an effort to “christianize” the pagan Lupercalia festival, a fertility festival dedicated to the Roman god of agriculture, Faunus. * Who sends Valentine’s? Approximately 85 percent of valentines are purchased by women who live in one of the six regions that acknowledge the holiday: the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia.

History.com’s feature also includes a variety of other Valentine’s themed data and historical accounts, including how many Valentine’s are exchanged yearly, the amount of marriages that take place annually and the number of jewelry stores currently in the U.S. In addition to providing trivia and historical information, the site features relationship profiles on legendary couples: Harry and Bess Truman (including original love letters between the couple), Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Jackie and Rachel Robinson.

“The history of Valentine’s Day is extremely ambiguous and we are excited to be able to deliver a comprehensive resource devoted to this elusive holiday,” said Dr. Libby O’Connell, senior vice president, corporate outreach and chief historian, AETN. “We are dedicated to providing our viewers with a series of entertaining and interactive resources and our Valentine’s Day feature is indicative of that commitment.”

In addition to being able to view a variety of informational resources, visitors of History.com’s Valentine’s Day feature will have access to a wide assortment of videos. These videos include a historical kissing contest, an ice wedding, an account of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, a clip from Charlie Chaplin’s “The Bond of Marriage” film and more.

About History.com

About The History Channel

The History Channel(R) is one of the leading cable television networks featuring compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring history to life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The network provides an inviting place where people experience history in new and exciting ways enabling them to connect their lives today to the great lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the future. The History Channel has earned four Peabody Awards, three Primetime Emmy(R) Awards, ten News and Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor’s Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network’s Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel reaches more than 91 million Nielsen subscribers.

Source: Earthtimes.org

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 30th, 2007 at 3:24 pm and is filed under History. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.