FRIDAY the 13th is a day filled with fear and superstition, with many of us doing our best to stay out of harm's way until it's over.
But why is the date considered to be the unluckiest on the calendar and how did it get this spooky reputation?
Why is Friday the 13th unlucky?
The origins of why the day is believed to be unlucky vary.
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The number thirteen has been seen as an unlucky number in itself — aside from its association to the calendar.
In everyday life, 13 is less common than 12. There’s no 13th month, 13-inch ruler, or 13 o'clock.
Psychological research shows that we favour what is familiar and disfavour what is not.
This makes it easier to associate 13 with negative attributes.
People assign a dark nature to the number in the same was many people look at 'full moon effects'.
The fear is so widespread – an estimate suggests between 17 and 21 million Americans are afraid of the day – that psychologists have even come up with a word for those who suffer from it: paraskevidekatriaphobia — "triskaideka" being the Greek word for 13.
When is the next Friday the 13th?
There are two Friday the 13th's in 2023.
This year's first the Friday 13th fell in January.
The second is today: Friday, October the 13th.
Friday the 13th occurs around 20 times every decade.
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Where did the Friday the 13th superstition come from?
Many of the superstitions related to Friday the 13th stem back to the Last Supper, which was attended by 13 people — Jesus and his 12 disciples — when Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ.
The date being considered unlucky is also understood to be related to King Philip IV of France, who arrested hundreds of Knights Templar on Friday 13 October 1307, the majority of whom were burned at the stake.
In the Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer also referred to the unlucky day, saying "and on a Friday fell all this misfortune".
As a result of the fear of the number 13, many buildings and hotels, such as the Carlton in London, skip having a 13th floor entirely.
The number 13 is also often associated with witchcraft, as it is deemed the number of witches you need to form a coven.
In medieval times in Britain, public hangings would always take place on a Friday.
While French King Philip IV would torture victims on Friday the 13th.
What bad things have happened on Friday the 13th?
While many argue to fear of Friday the 13th is nothing more than superstition, whether coincidence or not, there have been instances of bad things happening on this date:
- Buckingham Palace bombed: The Luftwaffe took it upon themselves to bomb the Queen's residence on September 13, 1940. While the King and Queen were in residence at the time, Queen Elizabeth commented "glad we have been bombed. Now I can look the East End in the face."
- Worldwide pandemic: Donald Trump officially declared the coronavirus pandemic in America on March 13th, 2020. In excess of 6.5m people were to die from Covid-19.
- Tupac Shakur died: Shakur was shot four times on September 7, 1996 in Las Vegas. He succumbed to his injuries six days later on Friday, September 13.
- Lightening strike: A 13-year-old British boy was struck by lightening on Friday the 13th, at 13:13. The unnamed teenager was struck by lightning while at an air show in England in 2010 and was treated only for burns on his shoulder.
- Costa Concordia: The cruise ship ran aground off the coast of Italy and sank into the ocean on January 13, 2012. Thirty-two people died in the incident and the ship's captain was charged with manslaughter.
- Kansas deluge: On July 13, 1951, the state of Kansas was hit by 25 inches of rain. The cities of Manhattan, Lawrence, and Topeka were most affected, and over 2 million acres of land were damaged by the flood.
- Stock market crash: After the buyout of United Airlines fell through on October 13, 1989, the ripples were felt throughout the stock market, specifically the junk bond market.
- Plane crash in Andes: Uruguayan Flight 571 was headed towards Chile when it crash-landed in the Andes on October 13, 1972. In the following days, the survivors were reduced to hiding in the fuselage of the plane and eating deceased passengers to survive.
- Aeroflot 217: On exactly the same day as the Uruguayan flight, Russia endured its worst plane crash in the countries history with all 174 people on board dying upon impact when attempting a crash landing.
- Computer virus: On January 13, 1989, a computer virus swept through the UK. According to the LA Times, hundreds of computers were affected by the virus, which deleted personal files specifically on the unlucky date.
- Bhola cyclone: The storm officially ended on November 13, 1970, but the effects are still being felt to this day. The Bhola cyclone is still the deadliest storm in the Bay of Bengal — the death toll is estimated to be from 150,000 to 550,000. The country of Bangladesh lost over 45% of its population it is reported.
- Swedish flight DC-3 vanished: According to National Geographic, a Swedish flight disappeared while flying over the Baltic Sea on June 13, 1952. It was never seen again.
- Global Day of Jihad: The founder and longtime leader of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal, called for a so-called Day of Jihad — a global day of rage against supporters of Israel — on Friday October 13, 2023, following the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Unlucky or not, the day has a dark history.
This helps perpetuate the belief that making big plans on any Friday the 13th should be avoided at all costs.
