THE TRUTH BEHIND FRIDAY THE 13TH

Happy Friday the 13th, everyone. For some people, seeing this day on the calendar is always scary. But I personally never stopped to ask myself why. Movies have been made detailing gruesome (fictional) events that have happened on the day featuring slasher Jason Voorhees. Scary things tend to happen to people on this day. 

I wanted to know why this day in particular is so unlucky. So, it's time to search for the truth about Friday the 13th and its origins and history.

THE HISTORY OF 13 AS AN UNLUCKY NUMBER

According to The History Channel, the legend of 13 as an unlucky number dates back thousands of years. Of course, we couldn't know for sure if the number was designed to be unlucky, but The History Channel poses many reasons why the number is considered so.

One is from the biblical days of Jesus. At the Last Super, there were 13 people in attendance. Many Christians believe that the number 12 is the number of divine rule. After all, there were 12 disciples, 12 tribes of Israel, and so on. Adding or taking away a number that has divine meaning linked to God is something that often becomes associated with bad luck or even the devil.

Take, for instance, the number 7. Many Christians view this number as the number of completion and wholeness. It has a significance in nearly every religion. We all know that the number 6 repeated three times is often associated with the devil or devil worship. The same goes for this number! It has evil associations!

There are more historical things sited to associate the number with evil. As we all know, a lot of taller buildings (at least in the U.S.) omit the 13th floor from those listed. 

This may be because the Code of Hammurabi, a legal code written between 1792 to 1750 B.C., omitted the 13th law that was written.

According to The History Channel, this could have simply been an issue in record-keeping, but that omission set the tone for generations and generations to come.

WHY ARE ONLY FRIDAY THE 13THS BAD LUCK?

Again, this goes back to Biblical roots. The Last Supper was held on what we now call Maundy Thursday. The next day, when Jesus was believed to be crucified, was on Good Friday.

Experts have also said that Friday would have been the day that Eve gave Adam the apple from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and is said to be the day that Cain killed Abel.

UNLUCKY THINGS THAT HAPPENED ON FRIDAY THE 13TH

• The death of Tupac Shakur (Sept. 1996), which happened 23 years ago today.
• The bombing of the Buckingham Palace (Sept. 1940).
• The executions of the Nights Templar (Oct. 1307).
• The "Black Friday" fires which killed 36 people in Australia's Victoria province (Jan. 1939)
• Turning point in the Cold War (June 1952).
• Murder of Kitty Genovese, a bar manager who was stabbed with more than 38 people witnessing the attack, none of which reported her murder or tried to stop it (March 1964).

There are so many more that could be mentioned, but I'll leave it at that. Now it is up to what you believe. Do you think that Friday the 13th is a cursed day? Or, do you believe people just take advantage of the fear we've instilled in ourselves?