This isn't a very intelligent question on my part, but I do appreciate sincere honest answers.?

Actually, it is a pretty intelligent question -- or rather, a set of questions. Temperatures on Venus have been measured by ysis of the light spectrum from it, and by space probes that have gone into its atmosphere. The Venera 4 probe go to Venus on June 12, 1967, and Venera 10 actually landed on June 14, 1975. There have been many other space probes to Venus.