13 haunting facts about Friday the 13th
Rebecca Holmes, Staff Writer
Photo Courtesy of Unsplash.com
13 facts that un-ravel the mystery of Friday the 13th.
There is no clear reason of how Friday the 13th became a day of fear. The association may be Biblical, given that the 13th guest at the Last Supper, Judas Iscariot, betrayed Jesus. It is also believed that it may be because 13 comes after the number 12. The number 12 is used to number the months, the days of Christmas and the eggs in a dozen.
2. Star of the well-known movie “The Omen” was decapitated
After the film had wrapped up, the film’s special effects director, John Richardson, and his assistant, Liz Moore, were in a tragic car accident on Friday the 13th. While Richardson survived the accident, Moore was decapitated. The creepy part is that there was a decapitation scene involved in “The Omen” movie. Also at the scene of the car accident was a sign that read “Ommen”.
3. More people are killed in tragic car accidents than any other day
According to a 1993 study published in the British Medical Journal there are more car accidents and injuries in the months that have a Friday the 13th than any month that doesn’t.
4. Ancient Egyptians thought the number 13 symbolized the after life
Ancient Egyptians believed that humans went through 12 stages on earth, and the 13th stage was the afterlife. To them 13 symbolized death, but they saw it as a glorious transformation. The ancient Egyptians’ association didn’t spread to other societies.
5. It was named after the Norse goddess Freya
The scary day of Friday the 13th was allegedly named after the Norse goddess of love, Freya. During the Middle Ages, the leadership of the Catholic Church told people that Freya was a witch and that Friday was the witch’s Sabbath.
6. Over 130 people were killed for crimes they didn’t commit on Friday the 13th
On Friday, October 13, 1307 under the rule of France’s King Philip IV, the Knights of Templar were falsely arrested and charged with blasphemy, heresy, homosexual practices and various other obscenities. Over 130 people were killed.
7. Turkish people don’t have a number 13
The Turks were so afraid of the number 13 that they didn’t even include it in their vocabulary.
8. Being afraid of Friday the 13th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia
Just like some people are afraid of spiders and the dark, others suffer from a deep-rooted fear of this day because it is surrounded by superstition. Even President Franklin D. Roosevelt was afraid of the number 13.
9. A plane crash resulted in many deaths and led to Cannibalism
On Friday the 13th, October 1972, a plane crashed in the Andes mountains. Twelve people died on impact and many more were killed in an avalanche that occurred some time later. Those who survived eventually resorted to cannibalism.
10. A cyclone killed 500,000 people in Bangladesh
On Friday, November 13th in 1970, one of the most catastrophic natural events the world had ever seen occurred in Bangladesh as a cyclone killed 500,000 people.
The king of old-time horror, Alfred Hitchcock, was born on Aug. 13, 1899. Hitchcock was most famous for some of his horror and thriller films such as “Psycho,” “The Birds” and “Rear Window,” among many others.
12. The Thirteen Club of New York was founded
Founded in 1882 by Capt. William Fowler, The Thirteen Club of New York was a group of people who didn’t believe in the superstition of Friday the 13th. They hosted dinners on Friday the 13th to show that they were unafraid. The small club grew into a national organization that has prominent members such as Grover Cleveland and Theodore Roosevelt.
13. An asteroid is projected to come near the earth in 2029
A Friday the 13th in 2029: Asteroid 99942 Apophis is projected to pass closer to earth than any of our satellites.
