13 for 13....

Happy Friday the 13th!

I. Every year has at least one Friday the 13ths but no more than three.

II. Blame it on Sunday!  Friday the 13 only occurs when a month starts on Sunday.

III. The longest span between Friday the 13s is fourteen months.

IV. The Ancient Chinese and Ancient Egyptians regarded the number 13 as lucky.

V. Friggatriskaidekaphobia comes from the Norse goddess of wisdom, Frigg (Friday) and the Greek words triskaideka (13), and phobia (fear).

VI. On August 13, 1899, Alfred Hitchcock was born.

VII. A few serial killers have 13 letters in their names, Jack The Ripper, Albert Desalvo, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Charles Manson. Adolfus Hitler is also, you guessed it, 13 letters!

VIII. Millions of people have a real fear of Friday the 13th.

IX. October 13, 1307, it is recorded that French King Philip IV gathered hundreds of monks and tortured them.

X. Margaret Thatcher, Fidel Castro, and Butch Cassidy were all born on a Friday 13th.

XI. In the UK, houses are never addressed as 13, instead they use 12-1/2 or 12A.

XII. No one can say exactly how these superstitions surrounding Friday the 13th were actually created but it certainly does make for a good story.

XIII. Fact: No one can simply avoid Friday the 13th.

Check out some more fun facts here and here if you dare!

Roman numerals

We have studied Roman Numerals before but we are reviewing them as part of our studies in Latin and Greek.

I think most of us know what Roman Numerals are but how and when did they come to be?  


Quick factoids:
~developed around 500 B.C.

~read left to right

~digitus is Latin for finger and number (in ancient times people counted on their fingers)

~developed by the Romans

~a smaller number before a larger number means subtract (ex: IV means 5-1 or 4)

~a smaller number after a larger number means add (ex: VIII means 5+1+1+1 or 8)

~another example like the one below (taken from English From the Roots Up) 
MDCCLXXVI These are the Roman Numerals for 1776.  How?  Lets look at it. 
M=1000
DCC=500+100+100=700
LXX=50+10+10=70
VI=6
So when they are added, the total is 1776.  Once you learn all of the Roman Numerals, it is pretty simple really.  It is also like a puzzle trying to figure out to add or subtract and changing the letters into digits.

To read more click here and here.