So, how do you feel about Friday the 13th? Lucky, unlucky, doesn’t mean anything but just another day? Here are 13 fun facts about this day that you may or may not know.

  1. Many historians believe that the origin of 13 being an unlucky number grew from the story of The Last Supper. Jesus had 13 guests at his last meal, and the 13th guest was Judas—the betrayer of Jesus. Jesus was then crucified on a Friday. This is what has been pieced together over the years to explain where Friday the 13th got its bad rap.
  2. If a month starts with a Sunday, it will have a Friday the 13th.
  3. This date has its own official phobia. Fear of Friday the 13th is friggatriskaidekaphobia, named for the Norse goddess Frigga.
  4. Thomas W. Lawson wrote a novel called, Friday the 13th at the beginning of the 20th century. Then, in 1907 a ship named for the author was shipwrecked on a Friday the 13th.
  5. Every year has at least one Friday the 13th, and at most three. This year 2020 has two, March and November.
  6. Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, director Alfred Hitchcock and actor, Steve Buscemi were all born on Friday the 13th.
  7. Experts say that friggatriskaidekaphobia affects millions of people and estimate that businesses, especially airlines, suffer from severe losses on Friday the 13th.
  8. Many high-rise buildings, hotels, and hospitals skip the 13th floor and many airports do not have gates numbered 13. In many parts of the world, having 13 people at the dinner table is considered bad luck.
  9. In Italy it is not Friday the 13th that is feared but Friday the 17th. In fact, the number 13 is thought to be a lucky number!
  10. The “Friday the 13th” enterprise includes 12 horror movies, a television series, and several books that focus on curses and superstitions. It is one of the most successful franchises in commercial entertainment.

11. An Asteroid will safely fly by the earth in 2029 on a Friday April 13, 2029. Scientists have revised their findings showing there is absolutely no risk of the asteroid impacting the Earth or the Moon.

12. Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star Spangled Banner” on Friday, September 13, 1814.

13. Check out the back of a one dollar bill. There are 13 steps on the pyramid, 13 letters in the Latin above it, 13 stars above the Eagle, 13 feathers in each of the Eagle’s wings, 13 leaves on the olive branch, 13 arrows and 13 bars on the shield.  Maybe that’s why some refer to the bill as a lucky buck.

BONUS: Pete Rose collected hit number 4,000 on Friday April 13,1984 against the Phillies Jerry Koosman

BONUS: Rapper Tupac Shakur died on Friday September 13, 1996.

Now go out and enjoy your day, watch out for black cats, don’t walk under a ladder and be sure to play the #13 in your lotto selections. Meanwhile, I’m closing the blinds, locking all the doors and turning out all the lights! Have a great day!