5 Things You May Not Know about Friday the 13th

By: Kelly Meyers

April 13, 2018

It is Friday the 13th, and of course, this is a day that tends to bring superstitions out of people. So here are five things you may not know about Friday the 13th:

5. Where did this negative association with Friday the 13th come from?
Here's just one theory that we found on the web:

The superstition stems from early Christianity because thirteen is the number of people present at the Last Supper (Jesus and his 12 apostles), which took place on Maundy Thursday. At the Last Supper, Judas, the apostle w­ho betrayed Jesus, was the 13th member of the party to arrive. Jesus died the next day (Good Friday).

4. Many people fear the number 13, and there's a term for that fear.
Famous author Stephen King is just one of the millions that feel uneasy with this number. Did you know there's a name for the fear of the number 13? It's called "triskaidekaphobia." It's the fear and avoidance of the number 13. 

3. There's also a phobia for people who fear Friday the 13th.
This phobia is called “paraskevidekatriaphobia” or “friggatriskaidekaphobia." I don't know that I could even begin to pronounce either of those words correctly. 

2. It can happen up to three times per year.
In 2018, we will have two Friday the 13th's, today and July 13th. 

1. There could be reason to fear Friday, April 13, 2029. 
As if you weren't already feeling a little superstitious about the holiday, we have another reason for you to worry. Scientists say that a 1,200 foot-wide asteroid will pass withni 18,000 miles of Earth that day. That's a lot closer than its ounds. In fact, it's closer than some satellite orbits.