Friday the 13th

JustBonee

SF VIP
Location
Texas Gulf Coast
Some interesting facts about Friday the 13th .. Have a Good Day!

According to Smithsonian Magazine "fear of the #13 costs American a billion dollars per year in absenteeism, train and plane cancellations, and reduced commerce on the 13th of the month."

Fear of Friday the 13th dates back to Nordic Mythology. Many of their thirteenth Gods met with violent deaths, such as Loki, the trickster.

Ancient Romans regarded the number 13 as a symbol of death, destruction and misfortune.

There were 13 original colonies.

A witches coven consists of 13 members.

Tarot Card number 13 is the Death Card, depicting the Grim Reaper (although it is read as transition or change and not literal death).

Hotels rarely have a room number 13. Usually it is called 12a or 14. Same with floors of buildings and the elevators without a #13 button.

Highways sometimes will skip exit 13 altogether also.

There are 13 steps leading to the gallows. 13 knots in a hangman's noose.

Lizzy Borden uttered a total of 13 words at her trial. 13 feet which the guillotine blade falls.

The driver of Princess Diana hit pillar #13 at Place de l'Alma when she was killed in Paris, France.

13 people, Christ and his 12 disciples, were in attendance at the last supper. This is where the Christian belief ties in, making Friday a believed unlucky day, as the crucifixtion occurred on a Friday.

Beware naming your children with 13 letters in their name, they may be cursed for example, Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson.

Certain ocean liners will be held in dock until after midnight to appease passenger's fears on Friday the 13th.

British study concluded that even though there were less cars on the road on Friday the 13th (as compared with other Fridays) more accidents were reported.

Trisadekaphobia is the technical name for fear of Friday the 13th.

E Pluribus Unum has 13 letters.

The US Seal has 13 stars, bars, feathers in the eagle's tail, 13 bars in one claw, 13 olive branches in the other.

On the USA Dollar Bill, there are 13 steps on the pyramid, 13 bars on the shield, and 13 leaves on the olive branch

A "quatrorzieme" is a professional 14th guest hired by the French who had only 13 guests in attendance for dinner, who felt that was unlucky.

A baker's dozen consists of 13 for a reason! So the story goes a witch near Albany, NY demanded 13 items every time she came in to a particular bakery, and one day the old baker could not afford her extra biscuit. She sneered some strange words at the man, and he suffered terrible luck from then on, until he brought her another 13 rolls. After that life was once again easy for the baker and word spread around town. The custom is still sometimes practiced today.

Apollo 13, 1970, the 13th mission launched from pad #39 (13 x 3), mission was aborted, after an explosion occurred in the fuel cell of their service module. The rocket had left launcing pad at 13:13 CST and the date was April 13th.


 

Lol Bonnie, never had any bad luck on Friday the 13th, sometimes a pretty good day. :happy:
 

So according to that list his parents christened him 'Jack the Ripper' ??? Boy, they musta been psychic.

13's fine in Asia, they get antsy about 4, and there's a lot more of them than us so 13's trumped.

I reckon anyone with time to spare could make a list like that about any number, I think 23 was 'the' number fad a few years back.
 
Tomorrow is Friday the 13th of September..
It is my wife's birthday... Yes, she was born on the 13th of September (not a Friday) in New Zealand..

Actually we have a very close friend here in Massey that also has her birthday on September 13th, same as my wife..
We always celebrate their birthday together and this year it is at our house for supper..

BBQ rib steaks, baked potatoes on the BBQ, fresh garden salad, coleslaw,
and a lovely white chocolate cake for dessert with 2 candles.. One for each of them...

Friday the 13th has always been a rather lucky day for me.. Never bothered with the superstition and always seemed to be a bit better than average..

This year at sunset the most holy day of the year (Jewish) which is Yom Kippur begins on Friday 13th..
 
Happy Friday the Thirteenth . . .

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In order to protect fellow forum members from bad luck I am volunteering to accept all of your U.S. money that has those 13s on it. Please don't ho;d back. Send all you have. I want you all to be safe.
 
A couple more things about Friday the 13th


  • The fear of Friday the 13th is known as paraskevidekatriaphobia
  • In Spanish-speaking countries, instead of Friday, Tuesday the 13th (martes trece) is considered a day of bad luck.
  • In Italian popular culture, it is Friday the 17th (and not the 13th).
  • 2013 has the date Friday the 13th twice
  • They fall in September and December - 13 weeks apart
  • The longest period that can occur without a Friday the 13th is 14 months
  • On average, there is a Friday the 13th once every 212.35 days
 
Actually a coven has a variable number of members and many of the neo-pagan groups have anywhere from 4 to 24 members. Online covens often run up to include 100 members. The "13" limit came from Margaret Murray, an Egyptologist who created a hypothetical model of Wiccan organization but which has been opposed by many modern researchers.

That Guy, nice picture! Not a pair of pants or sneakers in the bunch - how refreshing. I used to be a LIFE fan but I never saw that shot - thanks for posting it.

I've never had any problems with Friday the 13th - mine are more on April 1st and 15th. :playful:
 
I dont mind Friday the thirteenth good rather than bad things seem to happen to us on that day.
 
Friday the 13th never was anything special for me.. Actually it was more on the lucky side rather than the bad side..

What is luck anyway ???
What is Friday the 13th anyway ??? Just another day ???

Oh well, it made for another topic...
 


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