A cosmic rose for Valentine's Day...
Source: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics via SJMN's Good Morning Silicon Valley
It's Valentine's Day weekend...
The history of the holiday...
and the Catholic take on St. Valentine...
But it is not like it used to be...
and the first cards were produced in the 1840s. In the first year, they sold a then mind-boggling $5,000 in cards...
Equation Predicts Marriage Success or Failure [Reuters, 2.13.2004]
Sex Is on the Menu This Valentine's Day [WSJ, 2.13.2004]
Normally Staid Restaurants Dish Out Some Spicy Offerings; Adult Pudding for Two
If Janet Jackson's Super Bowl stunt -- or the latest "Sex and the City" episode -- makes you blush, then shield your eyes from this year's Valentine's Day restaurant menus.
By The Numbers: Valentine's Day as culled from Poynter's always interesting Al Tompkins
All of this is from the Census Bureau:
Candy is Dandy
1,040
Number of locations producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2001. These establishments employed 45,913 people. California led the nation in the number of such establishments (with 116) followed by Pennsylvania (with 107).
24 pounds
Per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2002; it is believed a large portion is consumed around Valentine's Day. Candy consumption has actually declined over the last few years: in 1997, each American gobbled or savored more than 27 pounds of candy a year.
Flowers
$410 million
The wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers in 2002 for operations with $100,000 or more in sales. Among states, California was the leading producer, alone accounting for about two-thirds of this amount ($279 million).
$56 million
The wholesale value of domestically produced roses in 2002 for operations with $100,000 or more in sales. Among all types of cut flowers, roses were a close second in receipts to lilies ($58 million).
23,870
The number of florists nationwide in 2001. These businesses employed 125,116 people.
Jewelry
29,780
Number of jewelry stores in the United States in 2001. Jewelry stores offer wedding, engagement, and other rings, as well as other baubles, to lovers of all ages.
Romantic-Sounding Places
2
The number of places in the United States named Valentine. Valentine, Neb., was the more populous of the two, with 2,842 residents on July 1, 2002; Valentine, Texas, had just 185.
9
Number of places identified by the Census Bureau nationwide with "love" in their name. Loveland, Colo., was the most populous, with 55,273 residents in 2002. The others: Lovejoy, Ga., Loves Park, Ill.; Lovelock, Nev.; Love Valley, N.C.; Loveland, Ohio; Loveland Park, Ohio; Loveland, Okla.; and Lovelady, Texas.
Still haven't had your fill of love? Try Loving County, deep in the heart of Texas, with 64 residents in 2002. Or cross the border into New Mexico to the city of Lovington (population 9,484), or the village of Loving (population 1,313), or go to Oklahoma and Love County (population 8,911). And don't forget Lovington, Ill., with 1,210 residents. (1, 2)
If you really have your heart set on Shakespeare this Valentine's Day, you might start the day by visiting Romeo (Romeo, Colo.; Romeo, Mich.; or Romeoville, Ill., with 384, 3,765 and 28,765 residents, respectively, in 2002) and end it by calling on Mount Juliet, Tenn. (population, 15,465).
Be Mine
2.3 million
Number of marriages that take place in the United States annually. That breaks down to nearly 6,200 a day.
25.3 and 26.9
The estimated U.S. median ages at first marriage for women and men, respectively. The age for women is up 4.4 years in the last three decades. The age for men is up 3.6 years.
60 percent
Percentage of people 15 and over in Idaho who are currently married - the highest rate among states. New York has the lowest rate, 50 percent.
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