We all know that Feb. 14 is Valentine’s Day, a holiday to share your love with family and friends (and pets!). Most of us probably even know that it is probably named for St. Valentine, a priest who married couples regardless of a law forbidding young love. Feb. 14 isn’t just a day for chocolate hearts, sweet cards and kisses, of course; many other important events have happened on this day in history.
1076: Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV (for the first time)
1794: James Davenport of Philadelphia receives the first patent for textile machinery in the United States
1848: James Polk is the first president photographed in office by Matthew Brady
1867: Morehouse College in Augusta, Ga., is established
1889: The first train load of fruit (oranges) leaves Los Angeles heading east
1903: The U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor forms
1920: The League of Women Voters forms in Chicago
1924: Thomas Watson founds the IBM Corporation
1929: Seven gangsters are killed at the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago
1931: “Dracula,” starring Bela Lugosi as the vampire, is released
1950: The USSR and China sign a peace treaty
1951: Sugar Ray Robinson defeats Jake LaMotta for the middleweight title
1967: Aretha Franklin records “Respect”
1971: President Richard Nixon has a secret taping system installed in the White House
No matter what history is made this year, we hope you experience lots of love! Happy Valentine’s Day!
