Fun Valentine's Day facts

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. 

They must be felt with the heart. -Helen Keller

Here are a few fun Valentine's Day facts courtesy of the History Channel.

• Valentine's Day was created by the greeting card industry to bolster and bridge sales between Christmas and Easter. He, he- just kidding. Okay, here are the actual fun facts from the History Channel.

• One billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year after Christmas.

• In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.

• Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages but written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400.

• The oldest known Valentine card was written in 1415 by The Duke of Orleans of France. After being captured at the Battle of Agincourt he was imprisoned at the Tower of London. The Valentine depicts a knight and a lady with a Cupid shooting an arrow at the Knight's heart. It is currently on display at the British Museum.  

• The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful picture.

Watch the History Channel video that explains how the pagan ritual was Christian-ized 
in the 5th Century and how it eventually evolved into the Valentine's Day that we know today.