Today marks another day to celebrate Love, and the feelings we have toward special people in our lives, be it True Love, Puppy Love, Love and Marriage, Crush Love, and/or any other type of feeling that makes us all “googlie ooglie” inside for that someone special.

In what has become a holiday which started out as a romantic dinner celebration, has been embellished through time to include, flowers, candy, flowers and candy, a bracelet, a necklace, and bracelet and necklace, a ring, a bracelet and a ring, a necklace and a ring, a necklace, a bracelet, and a ring, a puppy, and if you watch tv commercials, , I have seen ads for new cars being given by one person to another, or both people given to both others. How things have changed.

Valentine’s Day had its beginnings surrounding the three-day (Feb. 13-15) Roman Festival Lupercalia, which honored the god of agriculture, Faunus, and the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. It was a pagan fertility celebration involving the sacrifice of a goat, and a dog, followed by priests using strips of hide from the animals to slap women and crops, in an effort to promote fertility.

In the 5th Century, Pope Gelasius I attempting to Christianize the pagan festival, designated February 14th as St. Valentine’s Day, honoring the martyrdom of St. Valentine. In the Middle Ages, authors including Shakespeare and Chaucer connected Love and Romance to the celebration of the day. As time passed, people handwrote and exchanged notes with each other in Britain and Europe. The Industrial Revolution, in the 19th century paved the way for the mass production of cards, thus opening the doors for companies like Hallmark to promote cards and gifts to celebrate the day.

As happens on all special days we celebrate, there are other events and Highlights, that have occurred on those days of note throughout years, that might not have reached being put on marquees, and Valentine’s Day is no exception.

The following is a sample of other events that also occurred on February 14th throughout history:

In the 3rd Century AD Emperor Claudius II, banned marriages to increase the number of eligible soldiers in his Imperial Army. In 270 ad, the story is told, that a priest defied the emperor’s ban, and continued to perform marriages. When Claudius II was informed of this, Valentine was beaten and then executed. The story continues that Valentine was canonized as a saint posthumously, though this story is considered a legend and continues to be vigorously debated.

In 1349, in Strasbourg France, Christians slaughtered as many as 2,000 Jews, as Jews were being blamed for the spread of the Black Death.

In 1399, King Richard II was imprisoned by who would later become King Henry IV, where soon after on, or near, February 14, 1400, Richard died.

In 1799, in a skirmish between the Europeans and Hawaiians, Explorer Captain James Cook was stabbed by a Hawaiian and later died.

On the morning of February 14th in 1929, possibly (Probably?) under the orders of Al Capone, 4 gunmen entered the hangout of fellow gangster “Bugsy” Moran, and opened fire, killing 7 of Moran’s gang.

On February 14, 1942, Imperial Japan began its attack on Sumatra, a stepping-stone toward Java. On March 28th, Sumatra fell to the Japanese.

In 1943, the U.S. troops in World War II suffered a hard defeat at Kasserine Pass (Tunesia) by German forces led by Erwin Rommell. It was estimated that near 1,000 Americans died and many more were taken prisoner.

In 1945, beginning on February 13, continuing February 14, Allied forced launched a barraged bombing on the German city of Dresden estimating more than 3,000 tons of bombs being dropped killing an estimated 20,000 people.

In February of 1965, Malcom X was ordered to evacuate his home in Queens, NY. The night before a hearing to delay the order, (which was on (February 14th) would occur, his home was firebombed. He and his family escaped without injury. The perpetrator was never caught. A week later, Malcom X was assassinated, shot on a stage in Manhattan.

On Valentine’s Day in 1979, the U.S. Embassy in Tehran was attacked, taking Kenneth Klaus as a hostage. A few hours later Klaus was set free and the Embassy given back to the U.S. Later in November of that year, another assault occurred where over 50 Americans were seized in the Iran Hostage Crisis and were held captive for over 400 days by revolutionaries of Iran.

Looking at these ten happenings, which fell on February 14th, we see that, in some places, for some people, Valentine’s Day wasn’t always the champagne and caviar (or peas and ginger ale from Season 10, Episode 16 of the Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet), or the Sunday night Hallmark movie of the week, celebration. For some people in their occurrences, things were violent, despairing, and tragic. For the most part, though, the celebration of Valentine’s Day in our lives today gives many a feeling that it’s nice to know that we/they can always, on Valentine’s Day, or any day, turn to Cupid and his magic arrows, or tune into Cousin Brucie’s Saturday Night Rock’n’Roll Party. [BTW, Bruce Morrow, is still going strong at 90 years young on 77 WABC, from 6:00 to 10:00 pm on Saturday nights (of which today is a Saturday), and is available via app on most mobile devices]. Cousin Brucie presents opportunities for listeners to conjure up the soft sounds and feelings of romance in any, and all, Valentine’s Day Living Rooms, as we forever celebrate the Holiday of Love in our minds (even if our loved one has passed, and until we meet again), and in our hearts (always and forever).

Wishing a Happy Valentine’s Day to all!