Test Your Valentine's Day IQ!

By Joe Wilkes

1. Who was the first to declare Valentine's Day an official holiday in 1537? It was that old romantic King Henry VIII. His motto was "Coeur Loyal," meaning "true heart." He had a heart and the word "loyal" sewn onto his clothes—ironic in light of his six marriages. But to this day nothing says "I love you" like a heart or "it's over" like a beheading.
2. What was invented by NECCO in 1866? NECCO (New England Confectionary Company), maker of the delicious NECCO wafers, invented "Conversation Hearts" in 1866. With new sayings added every year, more than 8 billion are expected to be sold between January 1^st and February 14^th.
3. The city of Verona receives 1,000 letters for whom every Valentine's Day? The lucky lady is Juliet, the star-crossed lover immortalized in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Undeterred by the fact that she is both dead and fictional, every year around 1,000 correspondents wish her many happy returns on the day.
4. What product was introduced on Valentine's Day in 1929? Penicillin—discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 and introduced to the public on Valentine's Day the following year (the same day as the infamous St. Valentine's Day Massacre). Maybe it's not the most romantic product, but it's one which has cleared up the side effects of many an unprotected encounter.
5. Who sent the earliest known Valentine's Day card? Charles, the Duke of Orleans, sent his wife a love poem in 1415 while imprisoned in the Tower of London. The valentine is now in the British Museum.