Friday the 13th is universally known as an unlucky day. The origin of this suspicion in itself is suspicious. Many cultures recognize both Friday and the number 13 to be unlucky, so a day that encompasses both becomes all the more spooky. While some go into Friday the 13th as if it were any other day, others, suffering from friggatriskaidekaphobia –the fear of Friday the 13th–cancel plans on this day, in order to avoid any suspicious behavior.
Here are the spookiest things that have happened on Friday the 13th in history.
1. Lightning struck a 13-year-old boy
On Friday the 13th, of August 2010, lightning struck a 13-year-old boy at 1:13 p.m. -- 13:13 military time. Coincidence? I think not.
2. Death of Tupac Shakur
On Friday, September 13, 1996, Tupac Shakur was shot multiple times in a murder that remains unsolved.
3. Plane crashes in the Andes
On Friday, October 13, 1972, a plane flying from Uruguay to Chile crashed in the Andes Mountains. The 16 surviving passengers were forced to turn to cannibalism to survive. This event later inspired the movie "Alive."
4. Alfred Hitchcock was born
Known as the twisted mind that brought us "Psycho," "Rear Window," and "Vertigo," Hitchcock was born on, yes, Friday the 13th in 1899.
5. Natural disaster strikes
On Friday the 13th in 1970, East Pakistan–now Bangladesh–was devastated by a cyclone that killed an estimated 500,000 people.
6. Evil is born
On Friday, July 13, 1821, the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, Nathan Bedford Forrest was born.
7. Friday the 13th to come
An asteroid is set to fly past Earth on Friday, April 13, 2029–is there anything to worry about here?
Unfortunately, Friday the 13th proves to be no more unlucky than any other day in history. Still, be safe out there. Or just stay in bed all day, because nothing bad can happen if you're sleeping.
