🗓️ On This Day - February 14th
Love is in the air… but don’t worry! If you’re not celebrating Valentine’s Day, or if it’s your birthday and you’re sick of the sight of hearts and flowers, there are plenty of other ways you can mark February 14th. Below, we’ll 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 women’s suffrage revolution, Carrie Chapman Catt took women’s voting rights to the next logical step and set up what was known as Chicago’s League of Women Voters on February 14th 1920. As we all know, it’s 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 Ravel’s “Bolero”. 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 “The Satanic Verses” was blasphemous. The fatwa effectively demanded a bounty on Rushdie’s head - which led him into hiding for several years.
I ate his liver…
Sir Anthony Hopkins brought sinister cannibal Hannibal Lecter to cinema audiences through the release of “The Silence of The Lambs”, which was unveiled on February 14th 1991. Also benefiting from a career-defining role from Jodie Foster, the movie is hardly what you’d call a typical Valentine’s date night option… unless that’s 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
Let’s take a look at a few big occasions that people are celebrating nationwide and elsewhere in the world today.
St Valentine’s 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! He’s remembered today through gifts of chocolates and heartfelt cards shared between loved ones.
Pet Theft Awareness Day
A cause that shouldn’t take a backseat to Valentine’s 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 you’re giving chocolates and flowers, it’s also officially a great day to give the gift of literature. Got a favorite you’d like a loved one to check out? Now’s your chance!
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This page was last modified on July 29, 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 teacher’s words have since been heralded as some of the most prophetic ever spoken. Socrates, interestingly, didn’t take the opportunity to flee from his execution - which was a right at the time. He nobly accepted his own sacrifice…!
Famous Birthdays on February 14th
If you were born on February 14th…
Lucky you, you’re an Aquarius! That means you’re thoughtful, creative, and not afraid to stand up for yourself. Unfortunately, you may fall victim to the odd mood swing or two – but who doesn’t?
If you’d like to know more about what life as an Aquarian is really like, take a look over at our fact file.
