7 historical events that happened on Valentine’s Day
3. Frederick Douglass' birthday — 1818
This one comes with a caveat. Officially, 19th century abolitionist and civil rights activist Frederick Douglass’ birthday is celebrated on Feb. 14, with his birth year believed to be 1818.
However, Douglass’ actual birthday is not known because of the poor record keeping on the part of Aaron Anthony, the first person to own Douglass when he was a slave.
At a Feb. 28, 1888, event held in Washington, D.C., in honor of his birthday, Douglass commented on how such celebrations “belong to free institutions,” while those enslaved “were born at times: harvest times, watermelon times, and generally hard times.”
“I never knew anything about the celebration of a birthday except Washington’s birthday, and it seems a little strange to have mine celebrated. I think it is hardly safe to celebrate any man’s birthday while he lives,” he added.
Douglass ultimately chose Feb. 14 to be his birthday, according to Scott Bomboy of the National Constitution Center, partly due to his preference for the celebratory aspects of Valentine’s Day.
