Friday the 13th 37168 225449257 2008-07-13T19:23:25Z Discospinster 82432 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/67.224.51.190|67.224.51.190]] to last version by Bloodless (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{sprotect2}} {{otheruses4|the superstition|the [[slasher film]]|Friday the 13th (film)|the subsequent series of films|Friday the 13th (franchise)|the TV series|Friday the 13th: The Series}} '''Friday the 13th''' is superstitiously considered a day of bad [[luck]] in [[English language|English]]-, [[French language|French]]- and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]-speaking countries around the world, as well as in [[Austria]], [[Germany]], [[Estonia]], [[Finland]], [[The Netherlands]], [[Belgium]], [[Republic of Ireland]], [[Poland]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Denmark]], [[Iceland]], [[Lithuania]], [[Sweden]], [[Norway]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[Hungary]], and the [[Philippines]]. Similar [[superstition]]s exist in some other traditions. In [[Greece]], [[Romania]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]]-speaking countries, for example, it is Tuesday the 13th that is considered unlucky. In [[Italy]], it is [[Friday]] the 17th. The fear of Friday the 13th is called ''paraskavedekatriaphobia'',<ref>Alternative spellings include paskevodekatriaphobia or paraskevidekatriaphobia.</ref> a word derived from the concatenation of the Greek words ''Paraskeví'' (Παρασκευή) (meaning ''Friday''), and ''dekatreís'' (δεκατρείς) (meaning ''thirteen''), attached to ''phobía'' (φοβία) (meaning ''fear''). The term is a specialized form of [[triskaidekaphobia]], a simple ''[[phobia]]'' (fear) of the number thirteen appearing in any case. ==History== Both the [[13 (number)|number thirteen]] and Friday have been considered unlucky: *In [[numerology]], the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve recognized signs of the zodiac, the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve [[Apostle]]s of Jesus, etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness.<ref name="NatGeo"/> There is also a [[The Thirteen Club|superstition]], thought by some to derive from the [[Last Supper]], that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners. *[[Good Friday|Friday]], as the day on which [[Jesus Christ]] was [[Crucifixion|crucified]], has been viewed both positively and negatively among Christians. Despite the reputation of the two separated elements, there is no evidence for a link between the two before the 19th century. The earliest known reference in English occurs in a 1869 biography of [[Gioachino Rossini]]: :''[Rossini] was surrounded to the last by admiring and affectionate friends; and if it be true that, like so many other Italians, he regarded Friday as an unlucky day, and thirteen as an unlucky number, it is remarkable that on Friday, the 13th of November, he died.''<ref>Henry Sutherland Edwards, ''The Life of Rossini'', 1869, p. 340.</ref> However, only in the 20th century did the superstition receive greater audience, as :''Friday the 13th doesn't even merit a mention in E. Cobham Brewer's voluminous 1898 edition of the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, though one does find entries for "Friday, an Unlucky Day" and "Thirteen Unlucky." When the date of ill fate finally does make an appearance in later editions of the text, it is without extravagant claims as to the superstition's historicity or longevity.''<ref name="why">[http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/historical/a/friday_the_13th_4.htm Why Friday the 13th Is Unlucky]</ref> Though the superstition developed relatively recently, much older origins are often claimed for it, most notably in the [[novel]] ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' (and later the film), which traced the belief to the arrest of the [[Knights Templar]] on Friday [[October 13]], [[1307]].<ref name="why"/> ==Effects in people and cultures== According to the ''Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute'' in [[Asheville, North Carolina]], an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the [[United States]] are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed. "It's been estimated that <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[United_States_dollar|US]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>$800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day".<ref name="NatGeo"> John Roach, "[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/02/0212_040212_friday13.html Friday the 13th Phobia Rooted in Ancient History]", ''National Geographic News'', August 12, 2004.</ref> Despite this, representatives for both Delta and Continental Airlines say that their airlines don't suffer from any noticeable drop in travel on those Fridays.<ref>Josh Sens, "[http://www.viamagazine.com/top_stories/articles/lucky_1304.asp Some Don't Count on lucky]", ''Via Magazine'', January 2004.</ref> A [[British Medical Journal]] study has shown that there is a significant increase in traffic-related accidents on Fridays the 13th.<ref>T. J. Scanlon, R. N. Luben, F. X. Scanlon, N. Singleton, "Is Friday the 13th bad for your health?", ''[[British Medical Journal]]'', issue 307 (1993), p. 1584–1586.</ref> ===Fewer accidents=== The Dutch Centre for Insurance Statistics (CVS) on [[June 12]], 2008, stated that "fewer accidents and reports of fire and theft occur when the 13th of the month falls on a Friday than on other Fridays, because people are preventatively more careful or just stay home; but statistically speaking, driving is a little bit safer on Friday 13th; in the last two years, Dutch insurers received reports of an average 7,800 traffic accidents each Friday; but the average figure when the 13th fell on a Friday was just 7,500.<ref>[http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/06/13/friday-13th-is-no-longer-unlucky-89520-20605817/ www.mirror.co.uk, Friday 13th is no longer unlucky]</ref><ref>[http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKL1268660720080613 uk.reuters.com, Dutch study shows Friday 13th not more unlucky]</ref> ==Occurrence== {{Cleanup|date=June 2007}} {{-}} <table border=0><tr><td valign=top> The following months have a Friday the 13th: {| class="wikitable" |- ! Month !! Years !! [[Dominical Letter|Dominical</br>Letter]] |- | January || 2006, 2012, 2017, 2023 || style="text-align:center" |A, AG |- | February || 2004, 2009, 2015, 2026 || style="text-align:center" |D, DC |- | March || 2009, 2015, 2020, 2026 || style="text-align:center" |D, ED |- | April || 2001, 2007, 2012, 2018 || style="text-align:center" |G, AG |- | May || 2005, 2011, 2016, 2022 || style="text-align:center" |B, CB |- | June || 2003, [[2008]], 2014, 2025 || style="text-align:center" |E, FE |- | July || 2001, 2007, 2012, 2018 || style="text-align:center" |G, AG |- | August || 2004, 2010, 2021, 2027 || style="text-align:center" |C, DC |- | September || 2002, 2013, 2019, 2024 || style="text-align:center" |F, GF |- | October || 2006, 2017, 2023, 2028 || style="text-align:center" |A, BA |- | November || 2009, 2015, 2020, 2026 || style="text-align:center" |D, ED |- | December || 2002, 2013, 2019, 2024 || style="text-align:center" |F, GF |} </td><td valign=top> The following years have Fridays the 13th in these months: {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Months !! [[Dominical Letter|Dominical</br>Letter]] |- | 2001 || April, July || [[Common year starting on Monday|G]] |- | 2002 || September, December || [[Common year starting on Tuesday|F]] |- | 2003 || June || [[Common year starting on Wednesday|E]] |- | 2004 || February, August || [[Leap year starting on Thursday|DC]] |- | 2005 || May || [[Common year starting on Saturday|B]] |- | 2006 || January, October || [[Common year starting on Sunday|A]] |- | 2007 || April, July || [[Common year starting on Monday|G]] |- | 2008 || June || [[Leap year starting on Tuesday|FE]] |- | 2009 || February, March, November || [[Common year starting on Thursday|D]] |- | 2010 || August || [[Common year starting on Friday|C]] |- | 2011 || May || [[Common year starting on Saturday|B]] |- | 2012 || January, April, July || [[Leap year starting on Sunday|AG]] |- | 2013 || September, December || [[Common year starting on Tuesday|F]] |- | 2014 || June || [[Common year starting on Wednesday|E]] |- | 2015 || February, March, November || [[Common year starting on Thursday|D]] |- | 2016 || May || [[Leap year starting on Friday|CB]] |- | 2017 || January, October || [[Common year starting on Sunday|A]] |- | 2018 || April, July || [[Common year starting on Monday|G]] |- | 2019 || September, December || [[Common year starting on Tuesday|F]] |- | 2020 || March, November || [[Leap year starting on Wednesday|ED]] |- | 2021 || August || [[Common year starting on Friday|C]] |- | 2022 || May || [[Common year starting on Saturday|B]] |- | 2023 || January, October || [[Common year starting on Sunday|A]] |- | 2024 || September, December || [[Leap year starting on Monday|GF]] |- | 2025 || June || [[Common year starting on Wednesday|E]] |- | 2026 || February, March, November || [[Common year starting on Thursday|D]] |- | 2027 || August || [[Common year starting on Friday|C]] |- | 2028 || October || [[Leap year starting on Saturday|BA]] |} </td></tr></table> This sequence, here given for 2001–2028, repeats every 28 years from 1901 to 2099. The months with a Friday the 13th are determined by the [[Dominical letter]] (G, F, GF, etc.) of the year. Any month that begins on a Sunday will contain a Friday the 13th. Every year has at least one and at most three Fridays the 13th, with 688 occurrences during each 400-year [[Gregorian calendar|Gregorian]] cycle (146,097 days).{{Fact|date=May 2008}} The longest period that can occur without a Friday the 13th is fourteen months, either from July to September the following year (e.g. in 2001/2002 and 2012/13), or from August to October in a leap year (e.g. in 2027/28). <table border=0><tr><td valign=top> Patterns for non leap-years: {| class=wikitable |- ! First month occurring !! Second month !! Third month |- |January||October|| |- |February||March||November |- |April||July|| |- |May|||| |- |June|||| |- |August|||| |- |September||December|| |- |} </td><td valign=top> Patterns for leap years: {| class=wikitable |- ! First month occurring !! Second month !! Third month |- |January||April||July |- |February||August|| |- |March||November|| |- |May|||| |- |June|||| |- |September||December|| |- |October|||| |} </td></tr></table> Each [[Gregorian calendar|Gregorian]] 400-year cycle contains 146,097 days (365 * 400 = 146,000 normal days plus 97 [[leap year|leap days]]), 146,097 / 7 = 20,871 weeks, and 400 * 12 = 4,800 months. Thus, each cycle contains the same pattern of days of the week (and thus the same pattern of Fridays the 13th), but no day of the month up to the 28th can occur the same number of times on each day of the week (because 4,800 is not divisible by 7). The 13th day of the month is slightly more likely to be a Friday than any other day of the week.<ref>B. H. Brown, "Solution to Problem E36", ''American Mathematical Monthly'', vol. 40, issue 10 (1933), p. 607; [[Jean Meeus]], ''Mathematical Astronomy Morsels IV'', 2007, p. 367.</ref> On average, there is a Friday the 13th once every 212.35 (212 and 241/688) days. The distribution of the 13th day over the 4,800 months is as follows: {| class=wikitable |- ! Day of the week !! Number of occurrences |- |Sunday||687 |- |Monday||685 |- |Tuesday||685 |- |Wednesday||687 |- |Thursday||684 |- |'''Friday'''||'''688''' |- |Saturday||684 |} ==Planned events on Fridays the 13th== Some events are intentionally scheduled for Friday the 13th for dramatic effect. They include: * The 2008 [[Tamil language|Tamil]] block-buster film ''[[Dasavathaaram]]'' was released on Friday, [[June 13]], [[2008]] in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, USA and UK. *[[Black Sabbath]]'s eponymous [[Black Sabbath (album)|debut album]] was released in the UK on Friday, [[February 13]], [[1970]]. *The [[The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events)|13th book]] in ''[[A Series of Unfortunate Events]]'' was released on Friday, [[October 13]], [[2006]] by [[Lemony Snicket]], also known as novelist [[Daniel Handler]]. *[[Port Dover#Tourism and commerce |Friday the Thirteenth]], a gathering for motorcycle enthusiasts held in the [[Canadian]] [[beach]] town of [[Port Dover, Ontario]] every Friday the 13th. * The films ''[[The Happening (2008 film)|The Happening]]'' and ''[[The Incredible Hulk (2008 film)|The Incredible Hulk]]'' were released on Friday, [[June 13]], [[2008]]. * The first TV special on [[iCarly]], "iCarly Saves TV" was aired on [[June 13]], [[2008]]. * The Canadian release of the [[Microsoft]]'s [[Zune]] music player was on [[June 13]], [[2008]]. * The remake of the original ''[[Friday the 13th (franchise)#Future|Friday the 13th]]'' is planned to release on Friday, [[February 13]], [[2009]]. ==Natural events on Fridays the 13th== Due to the large number of events that happen in the world, a similar list could be compiled for any combination of day of the month and day of the week. *The [[Black Friday (1939)|Black Friday bushfires]] in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], [[Australia]] occurred on Friday, [[January 13]], [[1939]]. *The Uruguayan Rugby team [[Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571|infamously crashed in the Andes mountain range]] on Friday, [[13 October]] [[1972]] *[[Hurricane Charley]] made landfall near Port Charlotte, Florida on Friday, [[August 13]], [[2004]]. *The "[[Lake Storm "Aphid"|Friday the 13th Storm]]" struck [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], [[New York]] on [[October 13]], [[2006]]. *[[UNIX time]] will reach 1,234,567,890 decimal seconds on [[February 13]], [[2009]] at 23:31:30 [[GMT]]. *The asteroid [[99942 Apophis]] will make its close encounter on Friday, [[April 13]], [[2029]].<!--as per article on 99942 Apophis--> ===Notable births and deaths=== <!--If a person doesn't have an article on Wikipedia, please do not add them to this list.--> <table border=0><tr><td valign=top> {| border="0" cellpadding="2" class="wikitable" width="100%" ! Born on Friday the 13th !! Date of Birth |- | [[Oliviero de Fabritiis]] || [[13 June]], [[1902]] |- | [[Georges Simenon]] || [[13 February]], [[1903]] |- | [[Samuel Beckett]] || [[13 April]], [[1906]] |- | [[Bud Freeman]] || [[13 April]], [[1906]] |- | [[Johannes Bjelke-Petersen|Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen]] || [[13 January]], [[1911]] |- | [[Fred Daly]] || [[13 June]], [[1913]] |- | [[Eileen Farrell]] || [[13 February]], [[1920]] |- | [[Stuart Wagstaff]] || [[13 February]], [[1925]] |- | [[Jennifer Vyvyan]] || [[13 March]], [[1925]] |- | [[Margaret Thatcher]] || [[13 October]], [[1925]] |- | [[Fidel Castro]] || [[13 August]], [[1926]] |- | [[Herbert Ross]] || [[13 May]], [[1927]] |- | [[Rosalind Elias]] || [[13 March]], [[1931]] |- | [[T. J. Cloutier]] || [[13 October]], [[1939]] |- | [[Carol Lynley]] || [[13 February]], [[1942]] |- | [[Zoë Wanamaker]] || [[13 May]], [[1949]] |- | [[Yuri Ahronovich]] || [[13 May]], [[1949]] |- | [[Peter Davison]] || [[13 April]], [[1951]] |- | [[Max Weinberg]] || [[13 April]], [[1951]] |- | [[Deborah Raffin]] || [[13 March]], [[1953]] |- | [[Steve Buscemi]] || [[13 December]], [[1957]] |- | [[Julia Louis-Dreyfus]] || [[13 January]], [[1961]] |- | [[Will Clark]] || [[13 March]], [[1964]] |- | [[Kate Walsh (actress)|Kate Walsh]] || [[13 October]], [[1967]] |- | [[Tim Story (film director)|Tim Story]] || [[13 March]], [[1970]] |- | [[Sara Cox|Michelle Sara Cox]] || [[13 December]], [[1974]] |- | [[Sarah Connor (singer)|Sarah Connor]] || [[13 June]], [[1980]] |- | [[Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen]] || [[13 June]], [[1986]] |- | [[Marco Andretti]] || [[13 March]], [[1987]] |} </td><td valign=top> {| border="0" cellpadding="2" class="wikitable" width="100%" ! Died on Friday the 13th!! Date of Death |- | [[Sam Patch]] || [[13 November]], [[1829]]<ref>{{cite journal |last=Thomas |first=W. Stehpen |coauthors= Ruth Rosenberg-Naparsteck |year=1988 |month=October |title=Sleep City The Sesquicentenneial History of Mt. Hope Cemetery|journal=Rochester History |volume=L |issue=4 | pages=4 | publisher=Rochester Public Library | issn =0035-7413 |url=http://www.rochester.lib.ny.us/~rochhist/v50_1988/v50i4.pdf |accessdate=2007-12-31}} </ref> |- | [[Gioachino Rossini]] || [[13 November]], [[1868]] |- | [[Diamond Jim Brady]] || [[13 April]], [[1917]] |- | [[Henry Segrave|Sir Henry Segrave]] || [[13 June]], [[1930]] |- | [[Arnold Schoenberg]] || [[13 July]], [[1951]] |- | [[Martita Hunt]] || [[13 June]], [[1969]] |- | [[Hubert Humphrey]] || [[13 January]], [[1978]] |- | [[Ralph Kirkpatrick]] || [[13 April]], [[1984]] |- | [[Benny Goodman]] || [[13 June]], [[1986]] |- | [[Gerald Moore]] || [[13 March]], [[1987]] |- | [[Stuart Challender]] || [[13 December]], [[1991]] |- | [[Tupac Shakur]] || [[13 September]], [[1996]] |- |[[Tony Roper]] || [[13 October]], [[2000]] |- |[[Tim Russert]] || [[13 June]], [[2008]] |- |} </td></tr></table> ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{wiktionarypar|paraskavedekatriaphobia}} {{Illustrated Wikipedia|Friday wikiworld comic.jpg}} * [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/02/0212_040212_friday13.html Friday the 13th Phobia Rooted in Ancient History] * [http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/historical/a/friday_the_13th.htm Why Friday the 13th Is Unlucky] (About.com) * [http://www.howstuffworks.com/friday-thirteenth.htm How Friday the 13th works] (HowStuffWorks.com) * [[National Geographic]]: [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/02/0212_040212_friday13.html ''Friday the 13th Phobia Rooted in Ancient History''] * [http://altreligion.about.com/library/weekly/aa101306a.htm Friday the 13th and the Templars] - About.com article * [http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110009086 Your Unlucky Day: The religious roots of triskaidekaphobia.] * [http://www.viamagazine.com/top_stories/articles/lucky_1304.asp Some don't count on Lucky 13] - Via Magazine. * [http://skepdic.com/paraskevidekatriaphobia.html Paraskevidekatriaphobia] - skepdic.com article on Friday the 13th * http://www.infoplease.com/spot/friday13th.html * [http://www.snopes.com/luck/friday13.asp A world of Luck: Friday the 13th] - Snopes.com article * [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Triskaidekaphobia.html Triskaidekaphobia on MathWorld] [[Category:Phobias]] [[Category:Friday]] [[Category:Luck]] [[Category:Superstitions]] [[be-x-old:Пятніца 13]] [[bg:Петък 13-и]] [[cs:Pátek třináctého]] [[da:Fredag den 13.]] [[de:Freitag der 13.]] [[el:Παρασκευή και 13]] [[es:Viernes 13]] [[eo:Vendredo la 13-a]] [[fr:Vendredi treize]] [[id:Jumat Ketigabelas]] [[he:יום שישי ה-13]] [[mk:Петок 13]] [[nl:Vrijdag de dertiende]] [[ja:13日の金曜日]] [[no:Fredag den 13.]] [[nn:Fredag den 13.]] [[pl:Trzynasty Piątek]] [[pt:Sexta Feira 13]] [[ru:Пятница 13]] [[sk:Piatok trinásteho]] [[sl:Petek trinajstega]] [[fi:Perjantai 13.]] [[sv:Fredagen den 13]] [[uk:П'ятниця 13-го]] [[zh:13號星期五]]