February 14th Facts

This past Monday one of our Cottonwood Toastmasters gave a speech as she is working toward her Distinguished Toastmasters award. Her speech was so interesting that I asked if I could put it in this blog. Since it is the 100th anniversary of Arizona's Statehood, I thought it was appropriate. Thank you to Laurie for sharing with us. The following are some of the facts we learned about in her speech:

On February 14, 2012 many of us will be celebrating St. Valentines Day. I started wondering "Who is St. Valentine?" According to the Catholic Dioceses of the United States, Saint Valentine is not one saint, it is the name of several martyred saints of ancient Rome, fourteen in all.

Saint Valenitnes day is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other. This celebration first became associated with romantic love in a poem written by Geoffrey Chaucer . According to his biography, this poem was written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Ann of Bohemia.

Squidoo states that on Valentine's day, nearly one hundred and fifty million cards are exchanged and fifty percent of these cards are purchased six days before Valentine's Day. They also mention that forty thousand Americans are employed at chocolate companies....

Here are a few more bits of trivia to entertain your mind:
-In 1556 Archbishop Thomas Cranmer was declared a heretic
-In 1778 Stars and Stripes arrive in France for the first time
-In 1794 the first US textile machinery patent was granted to James Davenport of Philadelphia
-In 1848 James Polk became the first president in office to be photographed (by Matthew Brady)
-In 1887 the Cubs sell Mike King Kelly to Boston for a record $10,000
-In 1010 the United Parcel Service was formed, now commonly known as UPS
-In 1929 According to the Chicago Sun Times in a garage in Chicago, seven gangsters and one dog were killed in a gang war between the North side Irish led by Bugs Moran and the South side Irish led by Al Capone. This has become known as the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre
-In 1962 the First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy conducts a White House tour on television
-In 1971 the movie "Ben Hur" was first shown on television
-In 1989 the worlds first satellite skyphone opens


As for Arizona:
*On February 14, 1912 Arizona was admitted to the Union as the 48th state. The state motto, which is on our state seal, is DITAT DEUS, which means God enriches.

Happy Birthday Arizona!

Cottonwood Toastmasters meets every Monday 12:00 to 1:15 at the Cottonwood Village, 201 E Mingus Ave. Guests are welcome. For more information call Laina Lloyd at 928-300-8638 or Dave Ellison at 634-6540