St. Valentine’s Day evokes the thoughts of chocolate, flowers, plush gifts, the colors pink and red, and romance. However, February 14 seems to be a very eventful day, with or without the love-oriented. Everyone knows about the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929. Here are some other noteworthy events in history that took place on Valentine’s Day.
In 1835, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was made, introducing the Mormon religion. In 1899 Valentine’s Day marked Congress’s approval to use voting machines in federal elections. Arizona joined the union as the 48th state in 1912. The League of Women Voters formed on February 14, 1920. In 1924, Thomas Watson wasn’t distracted by Cupid’s plans. He formed IBM, International Business Machines. In 1949, the Canadian Asbestos strike began, starting the “Quiet Revolution.” Lawrencium was first synthesized on February 14, 1961. On Valentine’s Day of 1967, Aretha Franklin recorded her hit song “Respect.”
These last few are a bit dismal. On Valentine’s Day of 1979, the American ambassador to Afghanistan, Adolph Dubs, was kidnapped in Kabul and killed. Forty-eight people were killed by a fire in the nightclub Stardust in Dublin, Ireland, in 1981. On St. Valentine’s Day of 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa (decree handed down by a Muslim religious leader) calling for the death of The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie. The fatwa is still in place. Finally, in 1998, two Cameroon trains collided and spilled fuel that was later ignited by a scavenger’s cigarette. Over 100 people were killed.
So this Valentine’s Day, don’t just celebrate the holiday; celebrate, honor, and/or commemorate these historical events that occurred on the date.