Did you know that Friday 13th could occur as many as three times in one year?
If February starts on Sunday and it's not a leap-year, then there will be three Friday 13ths that year.
There will never be a year without at least one Friday 13th, so don't even hope for it.
The fear of thirteen is triskaidekaphobia and the particular fear of Friday 13th is friggatriskaidekaphobia (Frigga from the Norse goddess of wisdom - frigg - Friday) or paraskevidekatriaphobia, from the Greek words Paraskeví (meaning Friday), and dekatreís (meaning thirteen).
Until the 19th century, there doesn't seem to be any documentation or evidence that the combination of both Friday and Thirteen is especially unlucky.
Why is it considered unlucky?
I personally like the theory of the Knights Templar being the origin of the lore, but that particular 'historical fact' doesn't seem to be attributed before the 20th century.
A novel - Friday the Thirteenth by Thomas W. Lawson seems to have been at least part of the spread of the superstition.
Tuesday 13th is believed unlucky in Hispanic and Greek cultures and Friday 17th is bad in Italy and the number 13 is considered lucky.
It's believed that the superstition gained credibility because of Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, who died on a Friday the 13th but as I mentioned, in Italy, it's the 17th that's unlucky, so would that even have been an issue for Rossini?
Jesus' Last Supper had his twelve disciples sitting at his table, making thirteen in total and he died on Good Friday so there's a tenuous link, I suppose. With everything, if you look hard enough, a link or hidden meaning could be found in just about every fact.
Although, it's considered bad luck to seat 13 people at the same table.
To give a bit of hope for the friggatriskaidekaphobics/paraskevidekatriaphobics out there, it's also possible to have a stretch of 14 months without a single Friday 13th
Of course, Friday the 13th is also a successful and lucrative film franchise and I doubt the people involved consider it unlucky for them.
Triskaidekaphobia is so widespread, of course, that buildings, houses, airport gates and other numbered objects often skip the number and substitute it with 12a for example.
Alfred Hitchcock was born on Friday 13th 1899 and Friday 13th 1999 would have been his 100th birthday - spooky coincidence? Not really, there are only 7 days in the week, so the occurrence of a day and number coinciding is exceptionally likely, especially over a century.
Former President of Cuba, Fidel Castro was also born on Friday 13th as were actors
Steve Buscemi, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
People born on November 13th (not necessarily a Friday, but they will have celebrated their birthday on at least a few in their lifetimes) include:
Edward III, King of England (1327-77) noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority, born in Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England.
Dorothea Erxleben, German first female medical doctor, born in Quedlinburg, Germany.
John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, British statesman who claimed to have invented the sandwich, born in Chiswick, England.
Lady Caroline Lamb, English aristocrat, author (Glenarvon), wife of William Lamb, lover of Lord Byron.
Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish author (Treasure Island), born in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Buck O'Neil, American baseball player (Kansas City Monarchs, 1st African-American coach in Major League Baseball), born in Carrabelle, Florida.
Arthur Hiller, Canadian director (Love Story), born in Edmonton, Alberta.
Don Gordon [Donald Guadagno], American actor (Bullitt, Papillon), born in Los Angeles, California.
Garry Marshall, American TV and film director (Happy Days, Pretty Woman), born in NYC, New York.
Art Malik, Pakistani-born English actor.
Andy "the Clobberer" Ranken, English Celtic-punk rock drummer (The Pogues), born in London.
Chris Noth, American actor (Law and Order, The Good Wife), born in Madison, Wisconsin.
Whoopi Goldberg [Caryn Johnson], American actress, comedian and singer (Color Purple, Burglar), born in NYC, New York.
Jimmy Kimmel, American TV host and producer (Jimmy Kimmel Live!), born in Brooklyn, New York.
Gerard Butler, Scottish actor.
Now for some good news for Friday 13th
Friday, April the 13th, 2029 the asteroid 99942 Apophis will totally MISS the Earth and the Moon! How lucky is that? That will also be the 48th anniversary of the day after @Soul and I had our first date. See? Tenuous links all over the place!
