March 13

Friday, March 13

The Number 13 - some of these might even be true.

According to the Smithsonian Magazine "fear of the number 13 costs Americans 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.

Every month starting on a Sunday, will have a Friday the 13th in it.

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. It is the same with floors of buildings and elevators without a number 13 button. Highways sometimes will skip exit 13 altogether.

There are 13 steps leading to the gallows.

There are 13 knots in a hangman's noose.

Jason gets killed at the end of every Friday 13th movie.

If you watch Friday the 13th backwards, Jason revives dead people with a magic machete.

Lizzy Borden uttered a total of 13 words at her trial.

A guillotine blade falls a distance o 13 feet.

In numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve hours of the clock, twelve gods of Olympus, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve Apostles of Jesus, and twelve signs of the Zodiac. The number 13 is considered irregular, transgressing this completeness.

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

13 people, Christ and his twelve 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, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffery Dahmer, Osama bin Laden and Theodore Bundy, to name a few.

A 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.

Because of increased disappearance reports, the Empire State Building closes 4 hours early on Friday the 13ths.

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 a host who has only 13 guests in attendance for dinner.

A baker's dozen consists of 13 for a reason. The story is that a witch near Albany, NY demanded 13 items every time she came in to a particular bakery. 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. Finally he brought her another 13 rolls. After that, life was once again easy for the baker. The custom is still sometimes practiced today.

Apollo 13, 1970, the 13th mission launched from pad number 39 (13 x 3). The 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.