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Quiz: Valentine’s Day

What was the name of the emperor who helped, perhaps unwittingly, create Valentine's Day? And what did he think of marriage? (Pictured: A visitor enjoys a sculpture displayed at the exhibition "Rome - The Life and Emperors," at the Art Museum of Sao Paulo.)

What was the name of the emperor who helped, perhaps unwittingly, create Valentine’s Day? And what did he think of marriage? (Pictured: A visitor enjoys a sculpture displayed at the exhibition “Rome - The Life and Emperors,” at the Art Museum of Sao Paulo.)  (NELSON ALMEIDA, AFP/Getty Images)

Baltimore Sun
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Oh, yes, travel and Valentine’s Day do have some things in common. Travel’s all about other places, right? Today’s quiz tests not only your knowledge about Valentine’s Day but also some of the places where it has special significance (plus history, and, as we know, travel and history go together like, well, love and marriage). Take our Valentine’s Day quiz and see how well you know your stuff. - Catharine Hamm, Tribune Newspapers

Answer

Claudius II Gothicus, who thought marriage turned men into wimps. He persecuted Christians, including Valentine. What did Claudius think of marriage? Not much, apparently. He was against it so he outlawed it. It’s said that Valentine was performing the unions in secret, earning the emnity of Claudius. He died, rather unromantically, of the plague.  (TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA, AFP/Getty Images)

Question

According to Hallmark, where does Valentine’s Day rank among card-sending days?

(Pictured: An Indian Muslim woman poses with a Valentine’s Day card while browsing through a gift shop in Ahmedabad.)  (SAM PANTHAKY, AFP/Getty Images)

Question

Why are birds sometimes depicted on Valentine’s cards? (Pictured: Love birds are displayed outside a street shop displaying Valentine gadgets in Damascus.)  (LOUAI BESHARA, AFP/Getty Images)

Question

How old is the oldest Valentine card known to exist and where is it? (Pictured: Valentine’s Day cards written by Chinese couples are placed beside an ancient willow tree on the eve of Saint Valentine’s Day in the Qianmen district of Beijing.)  (MARK RALSTON, AFP/Getty Images)

Answer

The oldest Valentine card, said to have been written in 1415 by the Duke of Orleans to his wife, is in the British Museum in London. The card rests alongside other historical treasures like one of the oldest known copies of the Koran (8th century).  (CARL COURT, AFP/Getty Images)

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