A lot of people these days believe Valentine's Day is a made-up holiday designed to promote the sale of greeting cards and gifts. And while there may be some Arguments for that, there is a mysterious story as to why February 14th has become known today as "Valentine's Day." Our story dates back centuries ago, to the Roman Empire, and the martyrdom   of two or three Christians named Valentine. At least one of those Valentines is thought to have been killed on February 14th. Legend has it that this particular Valentine wais killed by a Roman emperor because he secretly presided   over the marriages of young men and women, against the wishes of the Emperor, who wanted only single men to fight in his army. However, there is no historical evidence to back this up. But what is widely known is that the love-element to Valentine's Day can be first traced   to the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer. Chaucer wrote a poem in 1382 to mark the anniversary of his King's engagement, and scribed a line -- "For this was Saint Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his male." From this point, on Valentine's Day became intertwined with love. But for the pessimists out there who see Valentine's Day as a commercial idea, there is some historical evidence to back this up as well! The true popularization   of Valentine's Day can be traced to late 18th century England, when a British publishing company first started selling paper Valentine's Day cards with tender words on them. They became so popular that by the middle of the 19th century, some 1.3 billion British pounds a year were being spent on Valentine's Day gifts. The origin of Valentine's Day was based on a   _  .
historical event real story legend poem