Friday the thirteenth, accident day number one, has arrived. Here are thirteen facts that you did not know about this day of disaster. To start the day well.
Paraskevidekatriaphobia?
Yeah, paraskevidekatriaphobia. People who fear Friday the 13th suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia. This phobia is related to triskaidekaphobia. The fear of the number 13, for these people, today is a terrible day.
The oldest proof of Friday the thirteenth
We go back in time for the oldest evidence. This proof dates from 1896. In the Leeuwarder Courant on 3 April 1896, there was an article about the faith on Friday the thirteenth.
Not Friday the thirteenth but Tuesday the thirteenth
In Greece, Spain, and Latin American countries, it is not Friday the thirteenth day, but Tuesday the thirteenth is the accident day. In Japan, four (the word sounds like the word for death) and seven are an accident number. And in Italy, they are afraid of the number seventeen.
American economy
Friday the thirteenth, has a major effect on the economy of America. This is because many Americans stay home en masse, report sick, and refuse to sign necessary contracts. On this day, the American economy is missing out on significant sums.
Friday the thirteenth and traffic?
Is Friday the thirteenth really a day on which more accidents occur than on an average Friday? There is a truth in it, research shows. A study in Finland has shown that on Friday the thirteenth, in traffic, 5 percent more men and 38 percent more women die than on an average Friday. The reason for this is, according to the researchers, that drivers drive too carefully on this day.
Apollo 13
Apollo 13 came into a dangerous situation on Friday, April 13, 1970. The accident on board occurred when it was almost 1:13 PM. The mission started from platform 39 and it was the thirteenth mission of the same platform. For completeness: 13 times 3 is 39. Sometimes the superstition seems real or was it just a coincidence?
Friday the thirteenth in 2015
In 2015 it was three times Friday the thirteenth and even two consecutive months (February and March). Often the thirteenth falls twice a year on a Friday. In 2010 the number coincided only once with Friday.
Hotels and airports
Many hotels avoid floor 13. It is the guests who indirectly request this, and the accommodations do not do this themselves. Airports also participate in this. Gate 11, 12, and 14 can often be found but gate 13 is skipped.
Taylor Swift
Where the day brings another misfortune, there is someone who thinks the opposite of that: Taylor Swift. And she explains why: “I was born on the 13th. I turned 13 on Friday the 13th. My first album went gold in 13 weeks.
My first #1 song had a 13-second intro. Every time I’ve won an award I’ve been seated in either the 13th seat, the 13th row, the 13th section, or row M, which is the 13th letter.”
Known accidents on Friday the thirteenth
On Friday, September 13, 1940, the Buckingham Palace was hit by five German bombs. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth barely survived, but one member of the court did die.
Friday, October 13, 1972, was a bad day for the Chilean Air Force. A plane suddenly disappeared above the Andes and only two months later, 16 survivors showed up. To survive, they should have eaten dead passengers from the flight.
The Romanian Florin Carcu reported sick to his boss in 2004. It was the thirteenth Friday, and the 54-year-old did not dare go outside. So the man decided to stay at home. But while making coffee, he was stung by a rare and poisonous wasp. He didn’t survive.
The Dutch national team is active on Friday the thirteenth
The Orange was in the past active on Friday the thirteenth. The men scored thirteen times on the accident day. The goal that many supporters still have fond memories of is the great goal of Robin van Persie against Spain at the 2014 World Cup.
The Dutch team played in the first group match against the reigning world champion Spain and humiliated the country with 1-5.
Frenchman wins thirteen million on Friday the thirteenth
A man will think back to Friday the thirteenth in 2010 with a good feeling. That is the day that the Frenchman suddenly became a millionaire. And that on Friday the thirteenth.
Thirteen at the table means one dead person
According to the most frequently heard explanation, the “faith” finds its origin in the Bible on Friday. During the Last Supper, Judas was seated at the thirteenth. He betrayed his master and committed suicide.
Hence the belief that if one is sitting at the table with thirteen, one person will die within the year. It is a fear that was so deep in ancient times that in Paris in the 19th century the ‘employment agency’ Le Quatorzième specialized in supplying an extra guest when there were only thirteen diners.
