Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition and in addition to that, the unluckiest days of the year. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which can be the case at least once every year, and up to three times a year. In 2017, it occurs twice, on January 13 and October 13. There will be two Friday the 13ths per year until 2020, where 2021 and 2022 will have just one occurrence. Let’s check out some facts about why this date is tagged as the unluckiest of the year!
1. Some psychologists have even come up with a term describing the fear of Friday 13th. It’s called Paraskavedekatriaphobia.
2. The superstition is thought to have come during the Middle Ages. and may also have biblical origins.
3. According to the claiming of some historians, this was the day on which Eve bit the apple from the Tree of Knowledge.
4. It is also said to be the day when the great flood begin.
5. There were 13 people in the New Testament who were present for the last supper of Jesus on Maundy Thursday, the day before the crucifixion of Christ on Good Friday.
6. On October 13th, Friday, 1307 Philip IV of France arrested hundreds of the Knights Templar.
7. In Dan Brown’s novel named “Da Vinci Code,” he cites the 14th-century execution of Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay. This took place on Friday the 13th. He also cursed the Pope and the King of France. It was actually the thing that spread misfortune down the ages.
8. Another possible thing is that the publication in 1907 of Thomas W. Lawson’s popular novel “Friday, the Thirteenth” played a part in disseminating the superstition. In this novel, a stockbroker takes advantage of the superstition, in order to create a Wall Street panic on a Friday the 13th.
9. New Yorker Daz Baxter, in 1976, was apparently so afraid of this day that he decided the safest place to stay was his bed. His apartment block collapsed on the same day.
10. In 2009, the £13.5 million SAW ride at Thorpe Park had its opening premiere. It was shut down only because of computer programming fault.
11. In 2010, lightning struck a 13-year-old Suffolk boy on this date, at 13:13. It was definitely unlucky for him.
12. In the period of the early 90’s, a retired bus conductor named Bob Renphrey also vowed to stay in his bed on this superstitious day. This Welshman has crushed four cars, fallen into a river and he has also been made redundant on previous Fridays with the same date.
13. As it was previously mentioned, some say it has biblical origins. Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was described as “the 13th guest” at the Last Supper.
14. Others believe it’s linked to Norse mythology, which tells how Loki, the demigod of mischief turned up uninvited, joining 12 others and taking their number to 13.
15. He then sparked the chaos that led to the death of Balder, a good god.
16. Former Sunderland striker Michael Chopra broke up with WAG Heather Swan just three weeks after their £250,000 wedding. The ceremony was held on Friday 13th June, 2008.
17. Friday October 13th, 1972, was the date a plane carrying Uruguayan rugby team Montevideo Old Christians crashed on its way from Montevideo to Santiago, Chile. When the 14 survivors were finally found two months later, it emerged that they had survived by eating human flesh from some of 31 crew and passengers who perished in the crash. The story later became the known movie Alive, starring Ethan Hawke .
18. The number 12 is historically considered as the number of completeness. But its older cousin, which is the number 13, has always been seen as an outlier and aberration.
19. There are 12 months of the year, 12 Gods of Olympus, 12 hours of the clock, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 Apostles of Jesus, as well as 12 Descendants of Muhammad Imams, among many of the incidences of the pattern seen historically.
20. In a lot of Western countries, some tall buildings do not have the 13th floor;
21. Houses, often don’t have the number 13.
22. Many hotels that include the Carlton in London, also miss out the 13th floor.
23. The cost of air travel does indeed fall on the spooky date which comes round once or twice in the year.
24. Property bargains are also more likely to relate to houses or flats that are numbered with 13.
25. Booking a wedding on this date could shed off significant amounts of the average cost.
26. The Hollywood sign that originally reads Hollywoodland was unveiled on Friday the 13th, in July 1923.
27. An early documented reference in English occurs in Henry Sutherland Edwards’ 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini, who died on a Friday 13th.
28. On Friday 13th October, 2006, 36 inches of snow fell on upstate New York. The ensuing chaos claimed three lives and incurred $130 million of damage.
29. Greeks also consider Tuesday (and especially the 13th) an unlucky day. Tuesday is considered dominated by the influence of Ares, the god of war.
30. The fall of Constantinople to the Fourth Crusade occurred on Tuesday, April 13, 1204.
31. In addition, in Greek the name of the day is Triti (Τρίτη) meaning the third day of the week, adding weight to the superstition, since bad luck is said to “come in threes”.
32. Friday September 13th, 1996, saw rapper Tupac Shakur die of wounds he received in a drive-by shooting after Mike Tyson’s comeback fight against Bruce Seldon in Las Vegas on September 6.
33. In the 2010s there were three Friday the 13ths in 2012 and 2015, and two in 2013. There will also be two 2017, 2018, 2019, and three in 2020.
34. At least 10 percent of the U.S. population has a fear of the number 13 , according to history.com , and a more specific fear of Friday the 13th, leading to financial losses in excess of $800 million annually, as people avoid marrying, traveling and even working.
35. The Nazis dropped a bomb on Buckingham Palace on Friday the 13th of September 1940. Thankfully the royal family were not hurt. Guess someone had a dose of bad luck!
36. For a month to have a Friday the 13th, the month must begin on a Sunday.
37. The “Friday the 13th” series includes 12 horror movies, a television series, and several books that focus on curses and superstitions.
38. Babylonian Code of Hammurabi omitted a 13th law from its list of legal rules, according to an early myth. In reality, it was a clerical error made by an early translator who left out a line of text.
39. The Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground on Friday the 13th in January 2012 off the western coast of Italy. There were 30 fatalities.
40. Isis carried out seven coordinated terror attacks on the evening of Friday the 13th in November 2015 in Paris, killing 130 people.
41. It is considered very unlucky for thirteen people to dine together, and the first to rise will reach serious misfortune, a superstition upheld by US President Roosevelt. He also refused to travel on Friday the 13th.
42. In some areas, calling a doctor for the first time on a Friday is a certain omen of death.
43. On Friday Oct. 13, 1972, a plane in Moscow crashed into the ground, killing all 174 on board. Maybe this explains the fear of flying on Friday the 13th.
44. A widespread computer crash, or the “Friday the 13th virus,” infected hundreds of IBM computers in England on Jan. 13, 1989. The crash caused anxiety over lost files and the threat of then-new technology.
45. The New York City murder of Kitty Genovese that made psychology textbook infamy was on March 13, 1964. More than 30 people witnessed the crime without one person intervening.
46. According to forecasts, on Friday 13th in 2029, the asteroid 99942 Apophis, with a diameter of 320 meters, will pass dangerously near the Earth. According to NASA scientists, it is large enough to survive the flight through the earth’s atmosphere. If it falls to land, the asteroid can devastate a Texas-sized region. If it falls into the ocean, it can cause unexpected tsunami waves.
47. On November 13, 1970, cyclone took 500,000 lives in Bangladesh into one of the most catastrophic natural disasters that humanity has ever witnessed.
48. Friday was called the Day of Hanging, as it was customary to execute criminals on this day. The footsteps to the scaffold were 13, as were the coils of the gallows, 13 pence were paid to the executioner. American pirate Albert Hicks was hanged on Friday July 13, 1860. He confessed that during his life he killed 100 people.
49. One in six adults believe the supposedly unlucky date poses the greatest risk of bad luck and consider it unluckier than black cats, broken mirrors and spilled salt.
50. According to multiple surveys, our faith in superstitious beliefs is stronger than ever, rather than gradually being disproved over time.
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