Today is Friday the 13th and with the freaky image of Jason stuck in our minds all day, paraskevidekatriaphobia’s everywhere are clutching onto their lucky rabbit’s foot extra tightly. Here are 13, (just kidding, this article is safe to read) 11 facts about Friday the 13th.
- Number 13 is unlucky because it follows 12, which is considered a complete number since there are 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac and more.
- 21 million Americans and up to 60 million people worldwide are affected by paraskevidekatriaphobia, the fear of Friday the 13th.
- There are three Friday the 13ths this year: January 13, April 13 and July 13. What to hear something even spookier? The dates fall exactly 13 weeks apart.
- Napoleon Bonaparte, President Herbert Hoover and President Franklin D. Roosevelt all suffered from paraskevidekatriaphobia.
- Mark Twain ignored his friend who warned him not to be the 13th guest at a dinner party. Mark learned his lesson when they only had food for 12.
- People living in Paris don’t joke around when it comes to the number 13. One can hire a quatorzieme, a professional 14th guest, to avoid having 13 guests.
- Builders seem to be superstitious as well. Many hospitals and skyscrapers do not have a 13th floor, while many airports do not have a gate 13.
- Psychological thriller director Alfred Hitchcock was born on Friday, August 13. His debut film titled "Number 13" was shut down.
- Of the 12 “Friday The 13th” movies, four of them were released on Friday the 13th, including the 1980 original.
- Is Friday the 13th that unlucky? In 2008, a study showed that fewer car accidents, fires and crimes occur on Friday the 13th.
- According to CNBC, the US market has been up 80 times out of the past 140 occasions when the 13th of a month landed on a Friday.
Sources:
Yahoo [2]
ABC [3]