On August 31st, National Matchmaker Day honors romantics whose dauntless pursuit of perfect purchase for cupid’s arrow results in lasting love stories.
- 1140 – Benedictine monk Gratian writes a law book, “Decretum Gratiani,” which brings consent into formalized marriages — before this, the bride and groom’s consent was not needed for the two to be married.
- 1600s – The very first matchmaking agencies set up shop in Britain
- 1924 – An article in the “Science & Invention” journal by the Smithsonian Institution details four scientific tests that were undertaken to ascertain whether a couple would make it or fail.
- 1961 – Joan Ball of London developed her first dating service in 1961 and later converted it to the computer-based operation named St. James Computer Dating Service in 1964. It was the first successful computer dating service in the world.
- 1965 – Operation Match was started in 1965 by Harvard and Cornell University students. Jeffrey C. Tarr, David L. Crump, Vaughan Morrill, and Douglas H. Ginsburg created it.
- 20th Century – Matchmaking and finding partners take on new roles in the modern world — people choose their own partners and arranged marriages are sometimes termed as ‘old-fashioned.’
- 2016 – National Matchmaker Day is officially a special celebration, founded by jewelry company ArtCarved Bridal.
- Professional matchmakers perform a host of services, including meeting with prospective clients, interviewing potential matches, offering dating advice, conducting background checks, and even building psychological profiles of their clients.
- The three-day dating rule dictates that a person must wait a full three days before contacting a potential love interest. This rule was majorly popularized by romantic films.
- The Matchmaking Institute puts the total number of professional matchmakers in the U.S. at around 2,000. The dating industry itself, online and offline, is worth more than $1 billion in the U.S.
- Modern sentiments still incorporate traditional matchmaking in multiple cultures around the world — so much so that 60% of the world’s marriages are still arranged.
- A study by dating site eHarmony predicted that, by 2031, half of the U.S.’s married couples would have met online, and this number would rise by 2040.
- The town of Lisdoonvarna, Ireland, holds a special matchmaking festival each September and has done so for the past 150 years.
- The ancient Greek matchmakers — always women, named the ‘promnestria’ — were the middlemen, passing messages and negotiations between the two families.
- By the Victorian period, the matchmaking industry had emerged. Marriageable women were to have a gigantic debutante ceremony, called the ‘coming out’ ceremony, in court around Easter time.
- Victorian women all wore white and carried delicate bouquets. They participated in a ‘season,’ during which their mothers, and sometimes fathers, would endeavor to make a match with an eligible family.
- According to a survey by the dating service eHarmony, by 2031, half of married couples in the United States will have met online, and by 2040, this percentage will increase.
- In many societies around the world, traditional matchmaking is still practiced; in fact, 60 percent of marriages today are still arranged.
- In a report from the British Journal of Psychology, it was concluded that males with empty stomachs preferred heavier females.
- The CDC reports there are 1.1 million Americans between the ages of 25 and 40 who are still virgins.
- The odds that a man aged 25-44 has not had sex are 1 in 36. And by the time a woman enters the age range of 25-44, the odds she had no male sexual partner are 1 in 59 – so yes, women outpace men in losing virginity.
- In the past few years, psychologists have discovered there are 3 common factors among relationships that survive:
- They accentuate the positives in life more than the negatives.
- They not only cope well during hardship but also celebrate the happy moments and work to build more of these into their lives.
- They excel in their ability to support each other under difficult circumstances.
- According to an online survey by one of the largest online dating sites, men and women have completely different fears when it comes to internet courting.
- The survey showed that when meeting someone in person they had originally met online, women most fear meeting a serial killer. Men, most fear meeting someone overweight.
- A few matchmake movies: Hitch, Fiddler on the Roof, Clueless, Hello, Dolly!, Hope Floats, Sleepless in Seattle, and Brimming with Love.
Sources:
National Days Today
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