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.
