These are the reasons people are suspicious of Friday 13th
Many think it's an unlucky day
Friday 13th is widely known as a day of bad luck. Some believe that 12 is a complete number so to go one over is unlucky! Should we be suspicious of the day? Here are some events that happened on the day that is thought to be unlucky, to add to the perception that Friday 13th is unlucky...
1) Film writer Alfred Hitchcock, known for horror films The Birds and Psycho was born on Friday 13th, 1899.
2) It's a bad day for businesses - A large amount of money is lost each Friday 13th as engaged couples choose not to get married, less people fly and many choose not to travel due to their superstitions.
3) Hurricane Charley caused $8 billion worth of destruction in south Florida on Friday 13th August, 2004.
4) On Friday 13th October 1989, the stock exchange suffered a serious crash, the second most damaging in market history at the time!
5) Also on Friday 13th 1989 a deadly virus made some computers crash in Britain. Not only did it scare people, but it deleted lots of data which couldn’t be brought back.
6) Back in 1952 on Friday 13th June, a Swedish military plane carrying a crew of eight disappeared over the Baltic Sea, sparking conspiracy theories for decades. However, in 1992 the Soviet Union admitted it had shot down the plane.
7) A 13-year-old boy was struck by lightning at 13.13 on Friday 13th, 2010. The boy was on the seafront in Suffolk and amazingly walked away with just a minor burn.
8) On Friday 13th of August 2010 a runaway London Underground train travelled through five stations without a driver. The train in front was forced to skip stops and was diverted to another branch of the network.
9) And here's a reason to fear Friday 13th in the future... On Friday 13th in 2029, an asteroid is forecast to pass our planet closer than any satellite.
It is Taylor Swift's birthday on 13th December, and 13 is her lucky number for a number of reasons. Find out more about Taylor Swift and her love for the number 13.
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Now take a look at facts about the number 13:
1) Triskaidekaphobia
Triskaidekaphobia is the fear of the the number 13.
2) Paraskevidekatriaphobia
Paraskevidekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13th.
3) Millions of people are scare of Friday 13th
It's estimated that 17 - 21 million people in the United States are affected by the fear of Friday the 13th and cannot go about their daily duties.
4) Finnish National Accident Day
In Finland they have a National Accident Day which always occurs on Friday the 13th.
5) No number 13 in planes
Many airlines remove a row 13 from their planes to avoid making passengers nervous.
6) No 13th floor
Similarly many tall buildings also 'remove' the 13th floor, jumping straight from 12 to 14.
7) The Last Supper
There were 13 people at Jesus' Last Supper which was held on Good Friday, one reason why it might have become an 'unlucky' day.
8) 'Unlucky' number plates
In Ireland, in 2013, in order to avoid having 'unlucky' number plates instead of just using two digits 131 and 132 were used.
9) 13 is lucky in Italy
13 isn't always an unlucky number. In Italy it is a lucky number and in Venezuela many sportspeople have chosen number 13 as their squad number, including Dave Concepción, Omar Vizquel, Oswaldo Guillén and Pastor Maldonado.
10) Friday 13th wedding
Getting married on Friday 13th could save you A LOT of money as many couples stay away from that date.
11) A baker's dozen
A baker's dozen contains 13 items. There are many theories behind this, but one common thought is that it was to avoid a beating in Medieval times.
Bakers who were found to be cheating their customers would be subject to punishment.
12) The Death Tarot card
The Death Tarot card is number 13.
13) Number 13 is a 'happy' number
The number 13 is a happy number according to mathematicians. We'd give you a definition, but it's quite complicated!
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