It’s the unluckiest day on the calendar, according to superstitious folk. Whether you believe the myths or not, there’s no denying that Friday the 13th brings with it some pretty unsettling feelings (just check out these bad things that have happened on previous Friday the 13ths!).
Best to cross your fingers as we reveal 13 facts about the inauspicious date you may not know about:
In the ancient Babylon’s Code of Hammurabi (1700BC), the number 13 was curiously absent from the list of laws.
People who are genuinely afraid of this date have “friggatriskaidekaphobia” or “paraskavedekatriaphobia”. Being afraid of the number 13 (yes, it’s a thing) is called “triskaidekaphobia”, and people who suffer from this phobia refer to themselves as “triskies”.
Master of horror fiction Stephen King revealed he himself has a phobia of Friday the 13th in an article for the New York Times back in 1984.
In the US, there’s an organisation called the Friggatriskaidekaphobia Treatment Center which helps people confront phobias such as opening umbrellas indoors or walking under ladders.
Elevators or stairwells in certain hospitals, hotels and skyscrapers omit the 13th level completely.
The slasher film franchise, Friday the 13th, is one of the most well-known horror movies in history. Interestingly, its 13th installment by Paramount Pictures was supposed to be released in 2017, but the film was cancelled in February 2017 due to the poor box office performance of another Paramount horror film, Rings. Talk about bad luck!
Perfect for superstitious diners who believe that if there are 13 people at a table, one will die in the following year.
The group existed to debunk superstitions surrounding the number 13, meeting around tables of 13 every 13th of the month. The group had reportedly up to 400 members!
Basically, if a month begins on a Sunday, there will definitely be a Friday the 13th in it.
The number 12 is associated with wholeness and completeness, as we have the 12 months in a year, 12 days of Christmas, 12 hours on a clock, 12 zodiac signs, 12 eggs in a carton etc. But 13 comes after 12, and its irregularity suggests incompleteness.
The famous horror director was, of course, born on Friday the 13th, August 1899. Other (still living) celebs born on the unlucky date include the Olsen twins, Julia Louis-Dreyfus of VEEP and Steve Buscemi of Boardwalk Empire.
There are two Friday the 13ths in 2020 – today (March 13) and later in the year on November 13.
According to NASA, an asteroid is predicted to fly the closest to earth on Friday, 13th April 2029. Close enough to be seen without a telescope!
“I was born on the 13th. I turned 13 on Friday the 13th. My first album went gold in 13 weeks. My first number 1 song had a 13-second intro,” she said in a 2009 MTV interview.
In his hit song “Superstition”, the musical genius sings:
Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin’ glass
Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past
When you believe in things that you don’t understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition ain’t the way