Happy Valentine Day to all!
Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have given way to mass-produced greeting cards. The mid-19th century Valentine’s Day trade was a harbinger of further commercialized holidays in the United States to follow.
In the second half of the 20th century, the practice of exchanging cards was extended to all manner of gifts in the United States. Such gifts typically include roses and chocolates packed in a red satin, heart-shaped box. In the 1980s, the diamond industry began to promote Valentine’s Day as an occasion for giving jewelry.
The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US. Half of those valentines are given to family members other than husband or wife, usually to children. When you include the valentine-exchange cards made in school activities the figure goes up to 1 billion, and teachers become the people receiving the most valentines. In some North American elementary schools, children decorate classrooms, exchange cards, and are given sweets. The greeting cards of these students sometimes mention what they appreciate about each other.
The rise of Internet popularity at the turn of the millennium is creating new traditions. Millions of people use, every year, digital means of creating and sending Valentine’s Day greeting messages such as e-cards, love coupons or printable greeting cards. An estimated 15 million e-valentines were sent in 2010.
Sony Music Entertainment today issued the following statement regarding Whitney Houston:
“Whitney Houston was an icon and a once-in-a-lifetime talent who inspired a generation of singers and brought joy to millions of fans around the world. She had a voice of unmatched beauty and power that changed music forever, and she leaves behind an indelible legacy of timeless songs that will never be forgotten. She also was an important member of the Sony Music family who spent her storied recording career with Arista Records. She will be greatly missed. Our deepest condolences go out to her daughter and her entire family.”
Galesburg, Illinois is noted for its Victorian homes and brick streets. One of them is Ferris Street, named for George Ferris, born on Valentine’s Day in 1859. An accomplished civil engineer, he produced a sensational invention for the Chicago Exposition of 1893 — the Ferris wheel. It was the major attraction of the fair and was viewed as America’s answer to the Eiffel Tower. The Chicago Ferris wheel was 250 feet in diameter and could carry more than 1,400 people. Today, Ferris wheels are still a part of most of the country’s 468 amusement and theme parks, where we pay nearly $12 billion a year to be entertained.
On October 16, 1972, the Metropolitan Opera in New York City staged a performance of Puccini’s “La Boheme,” as it had done many times before. But this time was special, as the conductor, Henry Lewis, was the first African- American to conduct the orchestra at the famous opera house. Lewis’ appearance at the Met was preceded by other landmarks. At 16, he became the first black instrumentalist with a major U.S. orchestra, then the first to conduct a world class orchestra, and the first to become music director of a major orchestra. Today, there are 182,000 musicians, singers, and other music-related professionals in the U.S., nearly 14 percent of them African-American. This special edition of Profile America is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Welcome to the Open Lines!
Valentine’s day is an Druid festival co-opted by the early church in Rome, the foundation of western christianity and author of the western christian bible. If Pope Gregory had not adjusted the calendar then easter, another Druid festival, would occur at the spring equinox instead of some random day based on the first full moon following the spring equinox. To Pope Gregory’s credit his calendar fiddling gives us Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday next week basically extending the original Druid festival by a week.
Today is also Jack Benny’s birthday.
It’s not so much knowing when to speak, when to pause.
Jack Benny
Mingo, if you have XM radio check out the program listing for channel 82. They are running several of Mr. Benny’s radio programs in his honor. Those old shows are as topical today as they were in his day.