šļø On This Day - February 14th
Love is in the airā¦ but donāt worry! If youāre not celebrating Valentineās Day, or if itās your birthday and youāre sick of the sight of hearts and flowers, there are plenty of other ways you can mark February 14th. Below, weāll take you through some historic events, famous birthdays, and special events that fall on this date.
On this day
The League of Women Voters took shape.
At the height of the womenās suffrage revolution, Carrie Chapman Catt took womenās voting rights to the next logical step and set up what was known as Chicagoās League of Women Voters on February 14th 1920. As we all know, itās the work of the suffrage movement that, thankfully, led to more rights offered to women across the US.
Torvill and Dean enrapture the crowds on the ice.
At the Sarajevo Winter Olympics in 1984, all eyes were on British ice skating duo Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean. They would break a record and gain nine out of nine perfect scores for their performance to Ravelās āBoleroā. To this day, the duo remain an important cultural icon (as a duo)!
Salman Rushdie went into hiding.
On February 14th 1989, author Salman Rushdie received a fatwa from Ayatollah Khomeini, who stated that his book āThe Satanic Versesā was blasphemous. The fatwa effectively demanded a bounty on Rushdieās head - which led him into hiding for several years.
I ate his liverā¦
Sir Anthony Hopkins brought sinister cannibal Hannibal Lecter to cinema audiences through the release of āThe Silence of The Lambsā, which was unveiled on February 14th 1991. Also benefiting from a career-defining role from Jodie Foster, the movie is hardly what youād call a typical Valentineās date night optionā¦ unless thatās your kind of thing!
YouTube was born!
Can you believe YouTube has been with us since 2005? The video-sharing site is an entertainment platform all on its own, and it first saw registration on February 14th. It eventually grew into a video platform to end them all - with more than a billion people visiting and watching videos on the platform every single month.
Special Days Falling on February 14th
Letās take a look at a few big occasions that people are celebrating nationwide and elsewhere in the world today.
St Valentineās Day
Of course, February 14th is perhaps most famous for being the feast day of St Valentine. Valentine was a tragic figure - he was known for defying the orders of his Emperor, Claudius II, and acted as marriage invigilator for couples when weddings were outlawed! Heās remembered today through gifts of chocolates and heartfelt cards shared between loved ones.
Pet Theft Awareness Day
A cause that shouldnāt take a backseat to Valentineās madness is pet theft. Millions of pets around the world go missing every year - but several are outright stolen for nefarious reasons. Today, we raise awareness for the two million or more pets that are stolen from homes across the US each and every year.
International Book Giving Day
Whether or not youāre giving chocolates and flowers, itās also officially a great day to give the gift of literature. Got a favorite youād like a loved one to check out? Nowās your chance!
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This page was last modified on March 3, 2023. Suggest an edit
This month in history
Socrates was, regrettably, sentenced to death in February 399 BC. The philosopher was accused of having corrupted young minds - however, centuries on, the teacherās words have since been heralded as some of the most prophetic ever spoken. Socrates, interestingly, didnāt take the opportunity to flee from his execution - which was a right at the time. He nobly accepted his own sacrificeā¦!
Famous Birthdays on February 14th
If you were born on February 14thā¦
Lucky you, youāre an Aquarius! That means youāre thoughtful, creative, and not afraid to stand up for yourself. Unfortunately, you may fall victim to the odd mood swing or two – but who doesnāt?
If youād like to know more about what life as an Aquarian is really like, take a look over at our fact file.
