It’s tough to pin down the real story about Valentine’s Day. One, there were a lot of early Christian martyrs named Valentine. Two, the most widely accepted versions deal with a Valentine from 269 AD.

Anyway, this Valentine was a Roman priest who was jailed for either refusing to renounce his Christianity OR for secretly performing marriages for Roman soldiers (the Romans thought married soldiers were not as effective as single soldiers…fascinating link to today’s Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell debate). While in jail, Valentine either restored the sight of his jailer’s blind daughter OR was in love with this daughter and wrote her a note on the night of his execution, signed “From Your Valentine.”

You can read about all the legends and the birth of a greeting card juggernaut here.