Friday the 13th has long been considered an unlucky or strange day by various cultures around the world.
Here’s a quick look at 13 by-the-numbers facts about how Friday the 13th and the number 13 are viewed in popular culture, the superstitious fear around the day and notable historical events that happened on what many believe is an ill-fated day.
Friday the 13th and the no. 13 in pop culture
John Chapter 13 – Some believe Friday the 13th superstitions are rooted in the Bible’s description of the Last Supper with the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, which is detailed in part in John Chapter 13.
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Readers of the Bible have noted that Christ was betrayed by the 13th guest to arrive at the Last Supper, Judas Iscariot, and Christ was later crucified on a Friday.
1989 – Taylor Swift, singer of “1989,” considers the number 13 to be a lucky number. Swift was born on Dec. 13, 1989, and her 13th birthday in 2002 was on Friday the 13th, she’s publicly said in multiple interviews.
In 2009, MTV reported that Swift said her first album went gold in 13 weeks and her first song to go number one 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,” Swift reportedly said. “Basically, whenever a 13 comes up in my life, it’s a good thing.”
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12 – There are 12 “Friday the 13th” movies featuring the fictional masked killer, Jason Voorhees.
This includes the horror film franchise’s 11 anthology movies released between 1980 and 2009 and the solo “Freddy vs. Jason” crossover film from 2003, where Vorhees battled Freddy Krueger, the villain from “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”
0 – Disney travel bloggers claim theme park operators in Florida have incorporated the number 13 in The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride’s design with wait time signs.
If visitors to Disney’s Hollywood Studios see a 13-minute wait time sign posted on the spooky drop tower attraction, that usually means there’s no line and zero wait time, multiple tourists have reported in blogs, online videos and social media posts.
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Friday the 13th: Superstitious fears
1911 – Triskaidekaphobia, a Greek-rooted word that describes the fear of the number 13 was first used in an English publication in 1911 with Isador Coriat’s “Abnormal Psychology” book, according to WordOrigins.org, a historical website that details the origins of specific words and phrases.
10% – Fear researchers estimate that triskaidekaphobia affects up to 10% of the U.S. population, and that number rises for paraskevidekatriaphobia, the fear of Friday the 13th, according to History.com.
Up to 21 million – Donald Dossey, a phobia and disaster expert who founded the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, told NPR that researchers estimated “some form of paraskavedekatriaphobia” affected 17 million to 21 million Americans in 2008.
$800 million – Fear of Friday the 13th reportedly results in financial losses of more than $800 million for various business industries each year because superstitious believers refuse to hold special events (including weddings), travel and sometimes even work, according to History.com.
80% – Researchers at the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute estimate that more than 80% of high-rise buildings in the U.S. don’t have a 13th floor, likely due to superstition, including hotels and hospitals.
The research center reports that some airlines choose to skip gate 13 in airports.
Friday the 13th: Notable historical moments
Jan. 13, 1128 – Pope Honorious II recognized the Knights Templar as an “Army of God,” on Friday, Jan. 13, 1128, according to History.com. The moment became a source of legend and conspiracy that still exists today – including inspiring the modern pop-culture legend of The Da Vinci Code.
April 13, 1970 – Crew aboard the moon-bound Apollo 13 spacecraft were unable to complete their mission when one of the vessel’s oxygen tanks exploded on Friday, April 13, 1970, at 10:06 p.m. EST, according to NASA. All seven members of the Apollo 13 crew survived the accident.
Sept. 13, 1940 – Buckingham Palace was bombed by German forces in the midst of World War II on Friday, Sep. 13, 1940, according to The Royal Family’s website, which cites the Royal Archives.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, were present at the time, and a total of six bombs were reportedly dropped on the palace’s forecourt, quadrangle, chapel and garden.
Oct. 13, 1972 – Two plane crashes happened on Friday, Oct. 13, 1972, in Russia and South America.
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Aeroflot Flight Ilyushin Il-62 crashed in a forest near Moscow-Sheremetyevo Airport while attempting to land due to bad weather, killing 164 passengers and 10 crew members, according to aviation news website Simple Flying.
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Santiago, Chile crashed in the Andes after the aircraft struck a mountain and lost its wings, according to Britannica. Rescuers found the wreckage more than two months later and only 16 of the 45 passengers aboard the flight survived the several-weeks-long ordeal.
March 13, 2020 – President Donald Trump issued a White House proclamation on Friday, March 13, 2020, that declared the COVID-19 outbreak a national emergency.
Fox News Digital’s Brittany Kasko, Christine Rousselle and Kerry Byrne contributed to this report.
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