Friday the 13th

Yes, most believe Friday the 13th is the unluckiest day of the year including gamblers and sports bettors in South Africa. Several athletes won’t wear the infamous number during matches, and they are so serious about it that they won’t play if they’re number is 13. 13 has been considered unlucky since the middle ages and even in biblical times. It all started from the last supper when 13 people were present, and his Jesus’ death was on a Friday = Friday the 13th.
 
That is not all there is a list of events that all adds to the number and the day being the unluckiest. Geoffrey Chaucer in his Canterbury also talks about the unlucky day; he says that starting a project or a journey on Friday the 13th is bad luck. Thomas Fensler, a professor at the University of Delaware, says that 12 is a lucky number and the fear of the number 13 is that it follows 12 the safest amount. The reason why 12 is safe and enjoyable, well there are 12 months in a year, 12 zodiac signs and there were 12 apostles. The number 13 is one of fear, so much so that London’s Carlton completely skipped the idea of having a 13th floor. It is a number associated with witchcraft since you need 13 witches to form a coven.

Every Decade Has Twenty Friday the 13th’s

King Philip IV from France tortured his victims on one specific day, and that was Friday the 13th. Every decade has around 20 x Friday the 13th’s, the next one this year is in September and December.

Friday the 13th Happenings Keeping the Believe Alive

  • Tupac Shakur, the legendary rapper did in 1996 on Friday the 13th of September, it was six-day since he was shot in Las Vegas
  • Daz Pearson woke up with a bad feeling that something is about to happen; he decided to stay home on Friday the 13th in 1976. It was a wrong decision as his flat’s roof caved in and he died.
  • The Phobia and Stress Management Centre in North Carolina reported a 700 million lost every year due to Friday the 13th superstitions
  • Kitty Genovese was stabbed, raped and brutally murdered on Friday the 13th of March 1964
  • On Friday the 13th of November 1970, 500 people were killed in India and Bangladesh because of the Bhola cyclone
  • The Costa Concordia sank in 2012 on Friday the 13th of January
  • On the 13th of September 1940 during World War II the Buckingham Palace was bombed by the Nazis
  • An obvious crush on the 13th of October 1972, in the Andes, killed 12 people – 16 survived an had to go to extremes to remain alive until they were rescued.