What is Valentine’s Day –  Valentine’s Day is named after Saint Valentine, but the legend of St. Valentine is shrouded in mystery.    One legend is that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome.  The Romans were at war, and the Roman Emperor at the time decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families.  The Emperor forbade men to marry.  Valentine realized this was an injustice and continued to perform marriages.  Another legend states an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “Valentine” greeting to a young girl from a jail cell.  A common thread is that most St. Valentine stories suggest he was a heroic and romantic figure.

Why Valentine’s Day?At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day, but it was not until the Middle Ages, that it was considered a day for romance.  Sending Valentine greetings was made popular in the Middle Ages as well, although written Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear until after 1400.

Valentine’s Day cardsValentine’s Day is celebrated in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.   By the early 1900’s printed Valentine’s Day cards began to replace hand written romantic Valentine’s notes.

Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, is known as the “Mother of the Valentine.”  In 1847, she received an English Valentine and became fascinated with the idea of making similar Valentine’s.  She began taking orders for Valentine’s and soon the demand outweighed the amount she could make, so a company was born.  It is estimated she made more than $100,000 annually selling Valentine’s cards.

Fun Valentine Facts:

Making sure that you have a good HVAC system is a top priority for most homeowners throughout the country. The most common type of air conditioning system is the traditional, central AC unit, which used a series of ducts in order to push cool air throughout your home.

There is another type of AC system that can benefit almost any homeowner though: the ductless mini-split air conditioner. When it comes to installing a new system or replacing the air conditioner you already have, there are many reasons to consider a ductless system, which we’ve highlighted below.

To understand the benefits of a ductless cooling system, its first important to understand what it is. As the name suggests, this type of system does not require ductwork in order to heat or cool your home. Instead, a ductless system uses individual, wall-mounted units which circulate air in each different zone or area of your home.

Ductless systems can be quickly installed by a professional air conditioning technician, as they only require a few refrigerant lines and electrical wires that connect them to a central outdoor condensing unit. It’s actually the system’s refrigerant that removes the heat from your home and carries it to the outdoor unit, where it is exhausted outside.

Around the world, every city offers something different. Though they all have hustle and bustle, lots of buildings, and usually traffic, when you’re on their streets you would never mistake San Francisco for Cairo, Toronto for Tokyo, or Berlin for Rio de Janeiro. But what about from space? During the day, these cities tend to blend in with their surrounding countryside. However, when lit up at night, it’s easy to see how varied these cities can be.

Is it possible to tell anything about the life and culture of our cities when viewing their lights from above? You might be surprised at how much.

Landmarks

Can you guess which cultural icon jumps out of this landscape?

Now, take a look at this photograph of Denver, a much newer city. The streets are mapped out in a much more orderly, grid-like way, aligned North-South and East-West.

The majority of urban areas in Tokyo use green mercury vapor lamps. Only the most newly built areas glow the standard orange.

Development

When examining a city’s lights from above, you can also learn about development, community growth, and infrastructure. Check out this unique photo of two cities from two countries side-by-side – the border towns Cuidad Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas.