Valentine's Day Trivia

Valentine’s Day 2008: Feb. 14

Opinions abound as to who was the original Valentine, with the most popular theory that he was a clergyman who was executed for secretly marrying couples in ancient Rome. Emperor Claudius II felt that marriage weakened his soldiers. In any event, in A.D. 496, Pope Gelasius set aside Feb. 14 to honor St. Valentine. Through the centuries, the Christian holiday became a time to exchange love messages, and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers.

Esther Howland, a native of Massachusetts, is given credit for sending the first valentine cards in the 1840s. The spirit of love continues today as valentines are sent with sentimental verses, and children exchange valentine cards at school.

Candy is Dandy

1,198
Number of locations producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2005. These establishments employed 38,718 people. California led the nation in the number of such establishments with 128, followed by Pennsylvania with 121.

477
Number of locations that produced nonchocolate confectionary products in 2005. These establishments employed 21,389 people.

$14.9 billion
Total value of shipments in 2006 for firms producing chocolate and cocoa products. Nonchocolate confectionery product manufacturing, meanwhile, was a $6.2 billion industry. 

3,412
Number of confectionery and nut stores in the United States in 2005; they are among the most popular sources of sweets for Valentine’s Day.

26 pounds
Per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2006. 

Flowers

$411 million
The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers in 2006 for all flower-producing operations with $100,000 or more in sales. Among states, California was the leading producer, alone accounting for about three-quarters of this amount ($316 million).

$31 million
The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut roses in 2006 for all operations with $100,000 or more in sales.

21,135
The number of florists nationwide in 2005. These businesses employed 101,861 people.

Jewelry

29,624
Number of jewelry stores in the United States in 2005. Jewelry stores offer engagement, wedding and other rings to lovers of all ages. In February 2007, these stores sold $2.5 billion in merchandise.

The merchandise at these locations could well have been produced at one of the nation’s 1,798 jewelry manufacturing establishments in 2005. The manufacture of jewelry and silverware was an approximately $10 billion industry in 2006.

Be Mine

2.2 million
The number of marriages that take place in the United States annually. That breaks down to 5,918 a day.

131,826
The number of marriages performed in Nevada during 2006. So many couples tie the knot in the Silver State that it ranked fourth nationally in marriages, even though its total population that year among states was 35th. (California ranked first in marriages.)

25.5 and 27.5
The estimated U.S. median ages at first marriage for women and men, respectively, in 2006. The age for women rose 4.2 years in the past three decades. The age for men at first marriage is up 3.7 years. 

56% and 60%
The percentages of American women and men, respectively, who are 18 or older and married (includes those who are separated).

71%
Percentage of people 30 to 34 in 2006 who had been married at some point in their lives — either currently or formerly.

5 million
Number of opposite-sex cohabitating couples who maintained households in 2006. These couples comprised 4.4 percent of all households.

57%
Among women who married for the first time between 1985 and 1989, the percentage who marked their 15th anniversary. This compares with 79 percent of women who married for the first time between 1955 and 1959. 

6%
The percentage of currently married women who have been married for at least 50 years. Just more than half of currently married women have been married for at least 15 years. 

Looking for Love

120
Number of single men (either never married, widowed or divorced) who are in their 20s for every 100 single women of the same ages.

34
Number of single men (either never married, widowed or divorced) 65 and older for every 100 single women of the same ages.

904
The number of dating service establishments nationwide as of 2002. These establishments, which include Internet dating services, employed nearly 4,300 people and pulled in $489 million in revenues. 

Try Looking Here . . .

Romantic-sounding places to spend Valentine’s Day:

Giving Love a Second Chance

8
Average length, in years, of first marriages ending in divorce.

3 1/2
The median time in years between divorce and a second marriage.

12% and 13%
Percentage of men and women, respectively, 15 and older who have married twice. Three percent each have married three or more times. By comparison, 58 percent of women and 54 percent of men have made only one trip down the aisle.

52% and 44%
Among adults 25 and older who have ever divorced, the percentage of men and women, respectively, who were currently married.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau