The heart symbol is central to popular culture, seen everywhere from classic artwork to modern anime. The image pops up in movies, music, clothing, a million different objects and, of course, candy.

From boxes of chocolates to three dozen emojis, it’s an iconic symbol of love: the heart. So Rod from New Brighton wanted to know: How did the heart symbol take shape? Good question.

You might think that the heart symbol and romantic love have always been bedfellows. But you’d be wrong. At times, the symbol was just a decoration. At others, it meant spiritual, chaste love ...

Valentine’s Day is all about the hearts: heart-shaped chocolates, cards, balloons and even pizza. But the heart hasn’t always just been a symbol of romance. Across cultures and centuries, the heart ...

In 2006, Keelin McDonell attempted to track down the origin of the holiday’s heart-symbol to explain how it got its familiar shape. Her article is reprinted below.* ...

The heart sign has entered the Oxford English Dictionary as the first graphical symbol to signify a word in the reference work's 127-year history.