A little love knowledge

Opinions abound as to who was the original Valentine; the most popular theory is that he was a clergyman who was executed for secretly marrying couples in ancient Rome (going against the orders of Emperor Claudius II, who thought marriage weakened his soldiers). In any event, in A.D. 496, Pope Gelasius I declared Feb. 14 as Valentine Day, and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. Esther Howland, a Massachusetts native, is given credit for selling the first mass-produced valentine cards in the 1840s. Here's a quick quiz, courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau, which seems to track everything:

1. What’s the average length of first marriages that end in divorce?
A. 3 years
B. 8 years
C. 18 months
D. 5 years

2. How many dating service establishments are there nationwide? Include Internet dating services.
A. 85
B. 904
C. 300
D. 1374

3. How many marriages took place in 2007?
A. 800,000
B. 5 million
C. 1 million
D. 2.2 million

4. What state ranked the most in marriages that year?
A. California
B. Nevada
C. Texas
D. Massachusetts

5. What was the per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2007?
A. 11 pounds
B. 57 pounds
C. 24.5 pounds
D. 104 pounds

And just so you know ...

-- Fifty-seven percent of American women and 60 percent of men age 18 or older are married. (That includes people who are separated).

-- The median time between divorce and a second marriage is 3 1/2 years.

Romantic-sounding places to spend Valentine's Day:
Roseville, Calif.
South Heart, N.D.
Darling township, Minn.
Lovejoy, Ga.
Valentine, Neb.
Loveland, Okla.
Romeoville, Ill.
Loving, N.M.
Romeo, Mich.
Love Valley, N.C.


QUIZ ANSWERS

1. B, 8 years. Maybe there is something to that "seven-year itch."
2. B, 904. So why are so many people still single?
3. D, 2.2 million. That breaks down to a little more than 6,000 a day.
4. A, California. Although so many couples tie the knot in Nevada that it ranked fifth nationally, even though its total population that year among states was 35th.
5. C, 24.5 pounds. No word on how many dentist appointments that adds up to.