Pope Gelasius I declared February 14 as St. Valentine's Day in the year 496. In Europe, it was celebrated as a day for romance starting in the Middle Ages. Geoffrey Chaucer was perhaps the first to write of its amorous associations, in his 1375 poem Parliament of Foules: "For this was on Seynt Valentyne's day/Whan every foul cometh ther to chese his make." And Americans likely exchanged handcrafted Valentines starting in the 1700s.
The First American Valentine's Day Card -- HISTORY's Moment in Media
![The First American Valentine's Day Card -- HISTORY's Moment in Media](/media/articles/iStock-1299308830.jpg.550x380_q85_box-0%2C0%2C615%2C427_crop.jpg.webp)