#1. Paraskevidekatriaphobia and Friggatriskaidekaphobia 

…the fear of Friday the 13th.

#2. There is very little evidence that shows Friday the 13th is an unlucky day. Multiple studies have shown that Friday the 13th has little to no effect on events like accidents, hospital visits, and natural disasters. However, the British Medical Journal says that there is a significant increase in traffic-related accidents when the date is Friday the 13th.  

#3. According to the Stress Management and Phobia Institute, businesses in America lose close to $900 million on each Friday the 13th because of the dramatic decrease in consumerism. However, people being too afraid to leave their homes helps explain the result of a 2008 study by the Dutch Centre for Insurance Statistics, which found the day to be safer than other Fridays with fewer incidents. 

#4. Hospitals and hotels often skip the thirteenth floor, even airports have omitted the thirteenth gate. 

#5. All years have at least one Friday the 13th, but there cannot be more than three in a year. Months that start with Sunday will always have a Friday the 13th.

#6. Since 1995, Finland has dedicated one Friday the 13th to observe National Accident Day to raise awareness about safety.

#7. NASA has projected that on Friday April 13th, 2029, a large asteroid will fly close enough to the Earth that those in Africa, Europe, and Asia won’t even need a telescope to see it. 

#8. It is believed that the superstition began in Norse mythology. From Scandinavia, it spread south throughout Europe and became widespread by the start of Christianity. The number 13 became prominent through the story of the Last Supper, in which the 13th guest (Judas Iscariot) was the disciple who betrayed Jesus. This led to Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday.

#9. Western cultures typically associate 12 with wholeness. For example, there are 12 days of Christmas, 12 months and zodiac signs, 12 gods of Olympus, and 12 tribes of Israel. 

#10. It’s only an unlucky day for some. In Italy, for example, Friday the 17th is considered to be the day that brings bad luck and the number 13 is actually lucky. 

#11. For Pagans, 13 was a lucky number since it is consistent with lunar and menstrual cycles. Friday also corresponded with the divine feminine, as the name Friday derives from the name of a Norse sky goddess associated with love, marriage, and motherhood.

#12. According to Thomas Gilovich, head of the psychology department at Cornell University, “If anything bad happens to you on Friday the 13th, the two will be forever associated in your mind, and all those uneventful days in which the 13th fell on a Friday will be ignored.”

#13. Taylor Swift told MTV, “I was born on the 13th. I turned 13 on Friday the 13th. My first album went gold in 13 weeks. 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. Basically, whenever a 13 comes up in my life, it’s a good thing.” She also paints the number 13 on her hand before each of her shows.