Just off the coast of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia, the surf crashes over this cluster of rocks, sending an oceanic Valentine"s Day card to a lucky bird—or photographer—flying overhead. We"ll take nature"s love letters wherever and whenever we can find them. But what makes February 14 the day we celebrate love? Some claim Valentine"s Day has its roots in an ancient Roman fertility festival called Lupercalia that included goat sacrifices and a lottery that paired off eligible men and women. Others argue that the holiday began with early Christians celebrating a martyr named Valentine. Chaucer romanticized the day with a poem about two birds mating for life. No matter its pagan or Christian origins, in the modern world, Valentine"s Day is celebrated most everywhere as a day devoted to love.
An oceanic valentine
Today in History
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Merry Christmas
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Grand Canyon National Park turns 105
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Manatee Appreciation Day
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Brotherly cubs
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Honoring the first American woman in space
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National Park Service Founders Day
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Bird s-eye view on World Environment Day
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Road-trip worthy attraction in the heartland
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A long path to freedom
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When Death Valley blew its top
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A universe underground
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Once upon a midafternoon dreary…
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Australian baobab tree, Kimberley region, Western Australia
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Presidents Day
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Mother s Day
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World Penguin Day
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Hues of Hokkaido
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It’s surströmming time
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Shhh, the movie is about to start
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This park is Superkilen
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Assembling the Smithsonian
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Full moon
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Rocks on the move
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Dog days of summer
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Paper lanterns on the longest night
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Castelmezzano, Italy
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Salt of the earth
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Happy Arbor Day!
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It’s National Dolphin Day!
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A new tradition in London