Thread: 5 Facts About Friday the 13th

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5 Facts About Friday the 13th

By LiveScience Staff
posted: 12 March 2009

If Friday the 13th is unlucky, then 2009 is an unusually unlucky year. This week's Friday the 13th is one of three to endure this year. The first came last month. The next is in November. Such a rare triple-threat occurs only once every 11 years.



The origin of the link between bad luck and Friday the 13th is murky. The whole thing might date to Biblical times (the 13th guest at the Last Supper betrayed Jesus). By the Middle Ages, both Friday and 13 were considered bearers of bad fortune. In modern times, the superstition permeates society.


Here are five of our favorite Friday-the-13th facts:

1. Fear of Friday the 13th — one of the most popular myths in science — is called paraskavedekatriaphobia as well as friggatriskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.

2. Many hospitals have no room 13, while some tall buildings skip the 13th floor and some airline terminals omit Gate 13.

3. President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a meal. Napoleon and President Herbert Hoover were also triskaidekaphobic, with an abnormal fear of the number 13.

4. Mark Twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. "It was bad luck," Twain later told the friend. "They only had food for 12." Superstitious diners in Paris can hire a quatorzieme, or professional 14th guest.

5. The number 13 suffers from its position after 12, according to numerologists who consider the latter to be a complete number — 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 days of Christmas and 12 eggs in a dozen.

Pythagorean legacy
Meanwhile the belief that numbers are connected to life and physical things — called numerology — has a long history.

Link & Entire: 5 Facts About Friday the 13th | LiveScience

Hocus pocus.

Well, I'm on flights today for 13 hours, on Friday the 13th... No worries... I just hope the airplanes feel the same way...

^ Dont worry the number 13 can be enetred into the Flight Management Computer

In China we have the 13th floor but no 4th or 14th.

Friday the 13th and I got a pay rise today.

Nearly worked 13 hours too, but some kit didn't arrive so I'll go back on Sunday to check it then.

....bollocks to friday 13....depends on what part of the world you are in and what you are drinking...

Broke a tooth and went to the dentist, he found four small cavities that needed attention, aka drilling.

Went for a massage, a lovely lady led me to a room and left, only for a guy to enter who spoke with a lisp with his Filipino accent. Excellent massage, though.

Had two meetings cancelled.

Internet doesn't work in my room so sitting in the lobby doing work and posting here.

It's raining.

I'm putting poison out tonite to kill the scavenging cat that is talaking my baby ducks and chickens........unlucky for her.

Had a nice afternoon at the Bamboo Gardens with the Little Monkey and the Midget.

Very scary. Not.

^ You met up with CMN and KW?

My boss hit a ready mix truck and went through the car windscreen on friday the 13th and lived, but would not travel on a friday the 13th after that.

I never believed in the Friday the 13th B.S.

Let alont any other number.

Originally Posted by Milkman

3. President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a meal.

Wouldn't that interfere with his duty to run the bloody country?

Originally Posted by Milkman

never believed in the Friday the 13th

It's true. It's mad shit man. There's like this ..Friday dude. And ages ago they gave numbers to the days, and then tried like fuck to make 7= loads of days. And they couldn't, so like they stuck extra bits on, and it was all cool. Then "they" found out that apples naturally move upwards on these days.

As I know it, the Fri 13th curse came from the Middle Ages when King Philip of France ordered the arrest of all the Templars on Friday 13th of some month in 1307, and then their subsequent torture and death (Templares were the crusaders who had aquired too much wealth and power in Europe, especially France, for Phil's liking -- he also moved the Pope to France if I remember right). Many of the top Templars like Grand Master Molay were caught, but many vanished and all of their gold and stuff disappeared, too, as did their ships. Likely made it to Scotland. Treasure hunt anyone?