Happy Valentine’s Day! Here’s a brief look back in time on this day, February 14th.
In 270, a Roman priest named St. Valentine is believed to have been executed under the orders of Emperor Claudius II, also known as Claudius the Cruel. However, historians dispute over the real identity of the figure whose name is synonymous with love and affection. There’s believed to be multiple Catholic priests who share the title St. Valentine: all of which were declared martyrs by the Roman government – around the same time. According to legend, St. Valentine (or at least one of them) was caught performing marriages during a time when it was banned in the Roman Empire. It wasn’t until 200 years later when Pope Gelasius I canonized the late priest in 496, marking February 14th as a day dedicated to him; at least according to Catholic calendars. It’s also recognized on July 6th in the Eastern Orthodox church, with another day to commemorate him a few weeks later on July 30th.
In 1779, a famed British explorer named Captain James Cook is killed during a conflict with native Hawaiians. A commander of several Royal Navy vessels, he is recorded to have been the first navigator to fully chart New Zealand and Australia over the course of various voyages. He has also helped chart dozens of territories such as Newfoundland, Tahiti, and Easter Island. It wasn’t all smooth sailing however, as he and his crew regularly got into conflicts with natives of the islands he helped navigate. The one that led to his demise was over the arrival of disease contracted from the crew and onto Hawaiian locals. This was during their second arrival to the archipelago; the Hawaiians initially worshiped Cook and his crew as gods during their first visit, until one of the crew perishes from exposure: an impossible circumstance among Hawaiian theocracy. They also discovered Cook was exploiting their goodwill, leading to the tribe attacking them during their second arrival. Negotiations were cut short following Cook’s kidnapping of the king and the murder of a high-ranking official and another native. He was killed in retaliation alongside four other crewman.
In 1990, NASA’s Voyager 1 captures a photo of the Earth from 3.7 billion miles away near the Sun. Depicting Earth as a tiny blue speck, it was one of the first photos that showed the world how massive the Solar System is. Voyager I was launched alongside Voyager II in 1977 as part of a mission to measure how expanse our star system is. Voyager I’s journey still continues to this day, having left the Sun’s gravitational pull in 2012.