Valentine’s Day is finally upon us, having arrived amidst much pomp and anticipation, and we would like to clarify that cheesy couples are banned from entering our 5-feet radius. We’re practicing some real social distancing today, baby. 

But in all honesty, whether you belong to Team Couples or Team Singletons, we all love love. 

As widely celebrated as February 14 is, little is known about this day. Under all the red and frills are some very interesting and wacky facts about good old Valentine’s Day. 

As our Valentine’s gift for you, here is a list of five facts you probably didn’t know about the day of love. 

The more you know, eh? 

• Every year, 145 million greeting cards are exchanged on February 14 in the U.S. alone. That’s a lot of cards. Like, a lot. 

• The phrase ‘wearing your heart on your sleeve’ has a pretty cool origin. During the Middle Ages, single and ready to mingle guys and girls would draw chits to see who their Valentine that year would be and would then wear that name pinned to their sleeve for a week to let everyone know. 

• Women in Japan do most of the gifting today owing to a translation error on a box of chocolates. Valentine’s or Kokuhaku, first introduced in Japan in 1936, has now become synonymous with women buying chocolates and flowers for the men in their life. 

• Finland and Estonia celebrate Valentine’s Day as a day of friendship where cards and gifts are exchanged between not just lovers but also friends and family. 

• Penicillin, of all things, was invented on February 14, 1929 by the then young microbiologist Sir Alexander Fleming.