Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 4, 1994 TAG: 9402100221
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: 1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: WENDI GIBSON RICHERT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But helping us keep the romance alive in this month of competing interests is Harlequin Enterprises, better known for their romance book series. In its fifth Harlequin Romance Report, a collection of facts and romantic fancies from around the world, we learned:
53 percent of nearly 8,000 women in 21 countries said they'd choose someone other than their boyfriend/husband if they could go on a wonderful date with a perfect man.
Mel Gibson and Cindy Crawford are the most desirable dates for 1994.
29 percent of 601 men from the United States and Canada compared their last date to the movie ``Pretty Woman.'' Three percent cited ``The Blob.''
The cheapest Valentine's Day date - including a card, box of chocolates, roses, dinner and dancing, limo service, and a night cap - can be had for $298.85 in Sydney, Australia. The fun ends in Tokyo, though, where the price tag is $1,297.44.
The first personal ad was published in 1695 in the Collection for the Improvement of Husbandry Trade: ``A Gentleman about 30 years of age, that says he has a Very Good Estate, would willingly Match Himself to some young Gentlewoman that has a fortune of 3,000, or thereabouts.'' In 1727, lonely spinster Helen Morrison placed her own lonely hearts ad in the Manchester (England) Weekly Journal. The mayor committed her to a lunatic asylum for four weeks.
by CNB