February Fun Facts

• Every year more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold across the country. That’s 58 million pounds of chocolate.
• About 55% of Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day and spend an estimated $18.2 billion a year, including more than $1.7 billion on candy alone.
• There are approximately 50 million roses given on Valentine’s Day around the world.
• Every year, around 9 million people buy their pets a Valentine’s Day gift.
• February 14th is the second largest card giving day of the year, just after Christmas. This year, it’s expected that 1 billion cards will be exchanged around the world.
• Teachers receive the most Valentine’s Day cards.
• Hallmark was one of the first to mass produce a Valentine’s Day card, all the way back in 1913.
• It is estimated that the U.S. alone is going to spend $3.3 billion on flowers for loved ones this year.
• The only other day that beats Valentine’s Day in floral sales is Mother’s Day.
• Richard Cadbury introduced the first box of Valentine’s Day chocolates in 1861.
• Groundhog Day was inspired by Europe’s Candlemas Day, during which clergyman would bless the candles they needed for the cold season. If they candles brought a sunny day, there would be six more weeks of winter; likewise, clouds and rain signified that winter would end soon.
• The first Groundhog Day was held on February 2, 1887 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
• Punxsutawney Phil is the official groundhog forecaster of February 2, but many states have their own.
• Germans originally chose a hedgehog as their animal forecaster. They turned to groundhogs instead when they discovered a large amount of them in Pennsylvania.
• Presidents Day is also known as Washington’s Birthday, after George Washington.
• Presidents Day began in 1800 after the death of Washington in 1799 as a means to remember the ‘Father of the Country’.
• President Rutherford B. Hayes signed the holiday into federal law in 1879, but only for Washington, DC.; it expanded to all of the states at the time in 1885.
• In the 1980s, retailers began using this holiday as a time to clear out their old stock in preparation for spring and summer.

https://www.1800flowers.com/blog/flower-facts/valentines-day-fun-facts-2017/
https://www.womansday.com/relationships/a4702/10-fun-valentines-day-facts-103385/
http://www.softschools.com/facts/holidays/valentines_day_facts/148/
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/valentines-day-ideas/a26863/valentines-day-facts/
https://www.languageconnections.com/blog/5-fun-facts-about-groundhog-day/
https://www.cnn.com/2013/07/13/us/groundhog-day-fast-facts/index.html
https://www.thoughtco.com/presidents-day-trivia-104718
https://www.theoaklandpress.com/news/presidents-day-some-short-facts-and-trivia/article_4c234122-e314-59cb-b55a-c88f2873eff5.html