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Friday, July 13, 2018

13 is Today's Number

Charlie Brown, Charles M. Schulz
It was fun compiling interesting facts about the number 7 when it fell on July 7 last week.
Now, a week later, there was another interesting number for the same mont  — Friday the 13th is today.

Here's how many Friday the 13ths there are from 2010 - 2020. There was 1 in 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016. There was/will be 2 in 2017 through 2020. There were 3 in 2012 and 2015. 

Fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia and also friggatriskaidekaphobia. I don't know who came up with these names. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13. I don't know who came up with these names.

Some Interesting/Unusual Stuff About the Number 13 . . .

  • The first mention of the day was found in a biography of Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, who died on Friday the 13th.
  • The number 13 is a prime number, which means it cannot be divided by any number other than itself.
  • At the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, there were 13 at the table, Christ and 12 apostles. One of the 13 there, Judas Iscariot, later betrayed Christ.
  • Many hotels and tall buildings skip the 13th floor and go to 14. A lot of hospitals have no room 13Some airline terminals omit Gate 13
  • There is no row 13 in planes. (Some Lufthansa airliners also skip row 17Lufthansa cites superstitions about 17 in both Italy and Brazil as the reason for the omission. Yet the airlines Alitalia (Italy) and Varig (Brazil) have a row 17 on their planes.)
  • Several powerful leaders have feared the number 13. President FDR didn't travel on the 13th day of any month and wouldn't host 13 dinner guests. Napoleon and President Herbert Hoover also feared the number 13.
  • Mark Twain was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. Later Twain said it was bad luck as "They only had food for 12." 
  • Composer Richard Wagner wrote 13 operas.  He  was banned from Germany for political reasons for 13 years and died on February 13, 1883. His name contained 13 letters. 
  • Microsoft has Office version 14 after version 12, there's no 13.
  • Formula 1 racing has no car with the number 13.
  • Apollo 13 was an unsuccessful launch at 13:13 on 4/11/70. It was crippled by an explosion on 4/13.
  • An assembly of witches is called a coven consisting of 13 witches.
  • Age 13 is transitional for children; it's when they officially become teenagers.
  • The US flag has 13 stripes representing the union of 13 colonies to fight British rule. The 13 colonies became the first 13 USA states.
  • There are 13 baked goods in a baker’s dozen. 
  • A standard 52-card deck of cards has four suits of 13.
  • Friday the 13th is an American horror franchise with 12 slasher movies, a TV show, novels, comics, video games and associated merchandise. The franchise focuses on a fictional character, Jason Voorhees, who as a boy drowned at a summer camp.
  • Well-known personalities born on Friday the 13th include: Butch Cassidy, Alfred Hitchcock, Margaret Thatcher, Fidel Castro, Whoopi Goldberg, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Marco Andretti.
Internet source
If you plan a dinner gathering at the Savoy Hotel in London, England and book a table for 13, the table is set for 14. The 14th place is occupied by the sculpture of a black cat. Here's why: in 1898 Woolf Joel, a South African mining magnate, hosted a dinner at the hotel, a cancellation left 13 at the table. There was talk that the first to leave would have bad luck. Joel, who believed it was nonsense talk left, and was killed upon returning to Johannesburg.

Afterwards, the hotel opted not to allow 13 dinner guests. In 1927, designer Basil Ionides sculpted a wooden black cat and named it Kaspar. It occupies the 14th dinner chair, a napkin around its neck. Winston Churchill reportedly was fond of Kaspar and seated the sculpture at his table no matter how may guests were dining.


These lists are far from complete — you can add more in a comment below.
Snoopy & Woodstock, Charles M. Schulz
Wishing all a lucky day today and always
Enjoy your weekend, Everyone.

13 comments:

Valerie said...

paraskavedekatriaphobia and also friggatriskaidekaphobia.... I won't even try to pronounce either. I didn't know that about the Savoy either and its only 'up the road', so to speak. I do admire your perseverance in getting so much information. I guess I'm now in the can't be bothered' mood which, I am told, happens when the ageing process takes hold. Whatever, I enjoy reading your blog. Happy Friday 13th.

Anonymous said...

I forgot it was Friday the thirteenth!!! What an amazing post, I enjoyed every word,, I learn so much here! I truly do, and you make me think,,

Karen Lakis said...

My mom has a fear of 13, so I pretty much know to avoid anything that has 13 of anything. I don’t think that I share this fear, but often find that when given a choice, I’ll avoid it, too - such as the grocery checkout line... but I don’t worry about it if it’s unavoidable. My favorite woman soccer player from that original World Cup winning team, was #13- so sometimes I actually like that #. Our family has also decided that two 13s cancel each other- lol. It’s funny how a number can conjure so much emotion.

Anvilcloud said...

Nice bit of research.

MadSnapper said...

now I am wondering if I could request a DOG in place of the cat in the 13th seat. LOL... and to me Microsoft must have created everything they do ON THE 13th because it is all a pig fat pain in the patootey

Silver in AZ said...

Interesting facts, thanks! My youngest daughter's favorite number is 13. I'm also mindful of the fact it's Friday the 13th, but usually the day passes uneventfully. :)

Red said...

The list may be incomplete but still very interesting. I don't think about 13.

William Kendall said...

The Savoy Hotel story is perfect!

mamasmercantile said...

Wow, such a lot of interesting facts. I really did enjoy the story about the Savoy Hotel, loved the cat.

Emma Springfield said...

A few other notable occurrences on Friday 13 are: Tupak Shakur died from gunshot wounds in 1996; the Costa Concordia capsized in 2012 and 32 passengers died; in 1972 Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashed in the Andes Mountains killing 29 with the 16 survivors resorting to cannibalism to survive; King George IV and his daughter Elizabeth (now Queen of England) were in Buckingham Palace in 1940 when it was hit by 5 Nazi bombs causing immense damage; Mickey Spillane a notorious gangster was shot and killed outside his New York City apartment in 1977; Mark Fidrich the pitcher for the Detroit Tigers who brought fun back into baseball died in 2009; the producer of 'Jaws' had a fatal heart attack in 2012; and in 1964 a number of people stood and watched and did nothing as a man raped and stabbed Kitty Genovese to death - none of them called the police for help. Then there is my mother who took us on quite an adventure on Friday 13 when we were children. She was no longer allowed to drive on Friday 13th.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Thanks everyone for the great comments and for sharing some of your Friday the 13 phobias. Karen, I enjoyed reading and you. Emma what a great font of additional info about the association of the number 13 and world events! Valeria and William, I really enjoyed the story about the Savoy and Kaspar. And, Sandra I DO agree with your comments about Microsoft and some of its products as there has been some real losers it seems.

Connie said...

I was most of the way through the day before I realized it was Friday the 13th, so I guess it didn't affect me too much. :) I enjoyed reading your fun facts about the number 13. Have a nice weekend!

Ramblings of a Retired Lady said...

Thanks for visiting my blog and for your comments. I am taking magnesium tablets also and hoping they will help with the leg cramps. Our oldest daughter was born on the 13th so for us it is a lucky number! Enjoy your weekend, and come again any time.