dystopia

Friday the 13th has a bad history of things going wrong, whether it be on a large or small scale. The number 13 is unlucky by itself, but combined with Friday, well, lets just say it always makes for an interesting day.

Here’s some facts on Friday the 13th and why so many people (including me) think it is a very unlucky day:

The British Navy built a ship named Friday the 13th. On its maiden voyage, the vessel left dock on a Friday the 13th, and was never heard from again.

The ill-fated Apollo 13 launched at 13:13 CST on Apr. 11, 1970. The sum of the date’s digits (4-11-70) is 13 (as in 4+1+1+7+0 = 13). And the explosion that crippled the spacecraft occurred on April 13 (not a Friday). The crew did make it back to Earth safely, however.

Many hospitals have no room 13, while some tall buildings skip the 13th floor.

Butch Cassidy, notorious American train and bank robber, was born on Friday, April 13, 1866.

Fidel Castro was born on Friday, Aug. 13, 1926.

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.

The 13th guest at the Last Supper was Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus.

Jesus was crucified on a Friday.

Some theologians claim that Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden fruit on a Friday, and that the Great Flood began on a Friday.

Christian folklore holds that 13 is unholy because it signifies the gathering of 12 witches and the devil.

Norse mythology has the belief that you should never sit down to a meal in a group of 13.

Both Fiday and the number 13 were once closely associated with capital punishment. In British tradition, Friday was the conventional day for public hangins and there were supposedly 13 steps leading up to the noose.

For whatever reasons, Friday the 13th has become unlucky for many people. Many people will not plan anything on this day or go on a trip on this day. Bad things happen all the time, so it doesn’t necessarily mean that Friday the 13th is unlucky for everyone and that every Friday the 13th will be unlucky. But, you can’t help to see why there is so much superstition and apprehension around Friday the 13th, just look at its history. People are fascinated by numbers and how they can correspond to our lives and life itself.

Just as an FYI, this could be a very unlucky year for us all, considering that there are going to be three Friday the 13ths this year, today, one in March and one in November. Yikes! That’s a little creepy and it only happens like very 11 years!