An Iriot original.

I was born with a special gift.

The ability to mentally transform any situation into the worst case scenario.

In my own brain.

My therapist calls my gift catastrophizing.

And that's why I'm uniquely qualified to scrutinize and analyze history's greatest disasters.

And find out who's to play play.

They say history repeats itself.

Not on my watch.

My name is Rebecca Delgado-Smith and I am the alarmist.

Hey everyone, thanks for tuning into the alarmist.

A comedy podcast where we talk about history's greatest tragedies and figure out who's to blame.

Today we're discussing the beheading of St. Valentine.

Here's what you need to know.

What is now a holiday synonymous with heart-shaped candy, red roses, and extravagant displays of platonic and romantic love,

Valentine's Day's origins are in fact mired in the bloody third century of the Roman Empire.

During the 260s, the Roman Empire experienced a crisis of power when it was broken up into three distinct governing entities.

Rife with political instability, disease, depopulation, and a wavering economy.

The Roman Empire seemed near its end until a series of strong military emperors came to power.

One of these emperors was Claudius II.

A former army officer who succeeded to the throne in 268.

According to medieval accounts, it was during Claudius II's reign that not one, not two, but three St. Valentine's were executed.

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