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Friday The 13th: How Did It Come About And Why Are We Afraid Of It? - Nairaland / General - Nairaland

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Friday The 13th: How Did It Come About And Why Are We Afraid Of It? by Albedo27(m): 12:09am On May 13, 2016
Friday the 13th has long been regarded as an unlucky day. Why do we choose this day in particular to fear for our lives?
In 1993, scientists found that there is a general increase in hospital admissions on Friday 13th.

Why is Friday 13th unlucky?
So is it just superstition or is there something more tangible at play?

History of Friday the 13th
The superstition around this day is thought to have come about during the Middle Ages, and may have Biblical origins.
Some historians have claimed it was the day on which Eve bit the apple from the Tree of Knowledge, the great flood began and the builders of the Tower of Babel.
In the New Testament there were 13 people present for Jesus's last supper. The other eleven desciples were sitted with Jesus Christ who made them twelve, before Judas entered and made them thirteen,Thursday, the day before Christ's crucifixion on Good Friday.
Geoffrey Chaucer made reference to the apparent unluckiness of the day, recording in his Canterbury Tales that it was bad luck to start a journey or a project on a Friday.

On Friday October 13th 1307 Philip IV of France arrested hundreds of the Knights Templar.
In his novel Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown cites the 14th century execution of Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay, which took place on Friday the 13th. He cursed the Pope and the King of France, and this spread misfortune down the ages.
It is also possible that the publication in 1907 of Thomas W. Lawson's popular novel Friday, the Thirteenth played a part in disseminating the superstition. In the novel, an unscrupulous stock broker takes advantage of the superstition to create a Wall Street panic on a Friday the 13th.

The number 13 has been considered unlucky for many years, even before Christ. The number 12 is historically considered the number of completeness, while its older cousin, 13, has been seen as an outlier.
There are 12 months of the year, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 hours of the clock, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 Apostles of Jesus, 12 Descendants of Muhammad Imams, among many incidences of the pattern historically.

In many Western countries tall buildings are missing the 13th floor.
Houses often do not have a number 13, and many hotels, including the Carlton in London, miss out a thirteenth floor.
It is considered very unlucky for thirteen people to dine together, and the first to rise will reach serious misfortune - a superstition upheld by US President Roosevelt. He also refused to travel on Friday the 13th.

Unlucky things that have happened on Friday 13th in history.

Buckingham Palace was hit by five German bombs on Friday September 13 1940 with both King George VI and Queen Elizabeth coming close to being killed. One member of the royal staff died and the palace chapel was destroyed

A Chilean Air force plane ‘disappeared’ in the Andes on Friday 13 October 1972, with 16 survivors turning up two months later. They had been forced to eat dead passengers in order to survive

Rapper Tupac Shakur died of his wounds on Friday September 13 1996 six days after being shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting

The Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground on Friday 13 in January 2012 off the western coast of Italy killing 30 people

In 1976, New Yorker Daz Baxter was apparently so afraid of Friday the 13th he decided the safest place to stay was his bed. However, Mr Baxter was killed when the floor of his apartment block collapsed that day.

In 2010, lightning struck a 13-year-old Suffolk boy on Friday 13th at 13:13. Definitely unlucky for him.

During the early 1990s retired bus conductor Bob Renphrey also vowed to stay in bed on the superstitious day after some seriously bad luck. The Welshman has crashed fours cars, fallen into a river and been made redundant on previous Friday the 13ths.

Source:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/06/friday-the-13th-how-did-it-come-about-and-why-are-we-afraid-of-i/

Re: Friday The 13th: How Did It Come About And Why Are We Afraid Of It? by Albedo27(m): 12:14am On May 13, 2016
2nd pic:
The Last Supper of Jesus Christ by Leonardo Da Vinci.

1st pic:
The King and Queen at Buckingham Palace after the Blitz.

Re: Friday The 13th: How Did It Come About And Why Are We Afraid Of It? by gbugbru(m): 12:17am On May 13, 2016
This really eye-opening. Won't venture on tomorrow's market survey again. Since it iw 13, of may: Friday. Gonna stay back at home...
Re: Friday The 13th: How Did It Come About And Why Are We Afraid Of It? by Adebola02(m): 12:28am On May 13, 2016
Friday the 13th has beem attached to so many evil occurencies in life,but is a just a matter of what you choose to believe. Friday the 13th is just like every other days of the year, Bad and Good things happen everyday and every minute on earth, so it makes a difference.
Re: Friday The 13th: How Did It Come About And Why Are We Afraid Of It? by byteHead(m): 2:02am On May 13, 2016
Friday 13th November 2015. - Paris terror attacks killing over 100 people.

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Re: Friday The 13th: How Did It Come About And Why Are We Afraid Of It? by Tapout(m): 5:00am On May 13, 2016
cry cry cry today has had it scores with me....
Re: Friday The 13th: How Did It Come About And Why Are We Afraid Of It? by Albedo27(m): 7:25am On May 13, 2016
Adebola02:
Friday the 13th has beem attached to so many evil occurencies in life,but is a just a matter of what you choose to believe. Friday the 13th is just like every other days of the year, Bad and Good things happen everyday and every minute on earth, so it makes a difference.
Yes u are absolutely right, it boils down 2 one's believe. It is mostly a belief among the Europeans.
Re: Friday The 13th: How Did It Come About And Why Are We Afraid Of It? by Albedo27(m): 7:39am On May 13, 2016
gbugbru:
This really eye-opening. Won't venture on tomorrow's market survey again. Since it iw 13, of may: Friday. Gonna stay back at home...
Friday the 13th occurred three times in 2015; in February, March and November. Today, May 13th is d only occurrence for 2016. For such date to occur, the first day of that month must start on a Sunday.
The next time it will occur three tines in a year will be in 2026 and first January of that year must start on a Thursday.
Re: Friday The 13th: How Did It Come About And Why Are We Afraid Of It? by writetopoker: 8:52am On May 13, 2016
God picks my call on the 13th of every month. that's settled

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