For years, Friday the 13th has had the stigma of being an unlucky day. Various sources contend as to why the day has been regarded with superstition.
Why this day happens to draw unusual events, we are uncertain. But here is a series of events that have added to Friday the 13th’s reputation for bad luck, and horror:
- Friday the 13th traces back to a Dutch holiday where mischievous children would sneak into graveyards at night and defecate on tombstones.
- In France, Friday the 13th often fell on the day after the Feast of Saint Imbibecus. Thus the day was often associated with terrible hangovers and poor choices made the night before.
- The Aztecs brutally killed 39,000 in one day on Friday the 13th of August, 1539. This was done at the request of the recently arrived Hernan Cortez, who claimed to be a god seeking tribute. The next day he overthrew their empire.
- One source says the number 13 has been unlucky since the Last Supper of Christ, where thirteen people were in attendance.
- Hammurabi’s Code, the first set of state initiated laws, omits the number 13, leading some to believe the superstition dates back to Babylon in 1700 BC. However archaeologists agree that there indeed was a thirteenth law that was scratched out. Studies of ancient tablets indicate the law condoned cross dressing of government officials, but was probably removed at the advice of Hammurabi’s aides.
- Genghis Khan is said to have tasted his first defeat on Friday the 13th. This fight between Genghis and five other larger children fueled the inferiority complex which drove him to conquer a continent.
- Most skyscrapers do not include a thirteenth floor. Gregory Johnson bravely included a thirteenth floor in his designs for the Empire State Building in New York. Three days after its completion, on a Friday, the weight of the building caused it to buckle and it crushed the thirteenth floor. It has been structurally sound ever since.
- In London’s summer of 1865, seven prostitutes, two flower sellers, three secretaries and a nun were assaulted on Friday July 13th by a crazy man wearing an athletic mask. The assailant would jump out of the shadows and present them with literature supporting the Conservative Party. As the women screamed and tried to run away, they were asked for donations repeatedly, up to 18 times in one case.
- In 1881, a group of New Yorkers started The 13 Club, aimed at removing the superstitious stigma from the number. At their first meeting on Friday the 13th, all thirteen members walked under a ladder into a room filled spilled salt and broken mirrors. They all died in a freak accident involving a runaway truck and a rabid wolverine on its way to be put down.
- On Friday June 13th of 1952, Massachusetts Governor Kyle McArthur banned all private automotive transportation on the unlucky day. Nine overcrowded city buses crashed into each other in downtown Boston.
- Billy Ray Cyrus, Bobby Brown, and Michael Bolton all released albums on Friday the 13th.
How or why this day attracts the macabre we are unsure. The Weekly World News wishes all its readers to have a happy and safe Friday the 13th.
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February 15th, 2009 at 2:03 am
Wow idk y people r freeked out by fri.13th but i think it has to do with the movies….they r so good!!!!
February 24th, 2009 at 1:51 am
obama's older daughter's birthday happens to be on july 13th
March 4th, 2009 at 5:04 am
i was born on friday the 13th
March 13th, 2009 at 8:00 am
i born on friday the 13th…13 march
dont believe in what christians or non islam said..
our luck depends on our self not the day..what an ass!!!
November 13th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
i was born on friday the 13th and i was 13 on friday the 13th
November 13th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Permit others to believe what they wish – dont thrust your rubbish down the throat of others – I believe in bad luck because I've had so much of it – now I believe in good luck too – It is my turn after all to be lucky = any date would be acceptable
The world would be a better place if we all kept our beliefs to ourselves
loverly lorn
November 13th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
I thought Friday the thirteenth was unlucky because that was the day the Nights Templers were massacred
November 13th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
november ? if so happy birtdai
November 13th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Best day to fly as flights are cheap
November 13th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
I DONT BELIEVE 13TH IN FRIDAY IS UNLUCKY
November 21st, 2009 at 8:17 pm
I agree with you.
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:07 am
Well, if you are looking for your own vacation home, there’s a really nice place in Rehoboth Beach. I stayed there one summer and it’s just perfect. It’s a very roomy three bedroom home with a deck and all the trimmings. Best part about this place is that it has a mother in law suite with a separate entrance. The suite has its own kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. So you could pay your mortgage by renting it out, while still having a place to call your own. So, take a look: http://www.homeinrehoboth.net They have lots of photos there.
November 27th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
I do not remember writing this – but it is true and my luck is still coming so is Christmas – which will get here first. Mayhap my IM business will be up and running soon
Be not afraid of Friday of the 13th just think you are on the glorious 12th August (shooting) or simply do not rember the date it is only 12+1 etc etc etc