13 facts for the lucky and unlucky – Friday 13th

Are you wearing lots of amulets today and reeking of garlic? Or perhaps it’s the lucky day for you?

Friday 13^th is considered by many a very unlucky day. Without knowing for sure how, when and where this superstition for Friday the 13^th started, here are 13 random facts about these special days. How many of these did you know?

1. According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute between $700 million and $800 million are lost every Friday the 13^th because people refuse to travel, purchase major items or conduct business. (Don’t worry, we are open for business as usual.) 
2. What about superstition levels in the UK? Do you know anyone who refuses to fly on Friday 13^th? Some people don’t want to stay in hotel rooms bearing the unlucky digits or buy houses that bear the number.
3. Paraskavedekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday 13^th. Triskaidekaphobics are people who are scared of the number 13 more generally.
4. Seafarers have believed for a very long time that it is bad luck to set off on a journey on a Friday. Moreover, Fridays were also historically known as the days that people were usually hanged in Britain.
5. Friday 13^th, January 1989: Not a great day for IBM as the Jerusalem virus wiped irretrievable data off computers across the UK.
6. Tuesday 13^th is another day of superstitions and bad luck. Spanish-speaking countries consider Tuesdays the 13^th a very unlucky day and even have a cautionary saying for it: “On Tuesdays, don’t get married, don’t take a trip and don’t leave your home.” (Ni te cases, ni te embarques, ni de tu casa te apartes).
7. We are pretty sure that it was a Friday when our creative director Simon dropped his salad on the stairs. (it wasn’t the 13^th, but still pretty unlucky).
8. NASA believes that on Friday April 13^th 2029 (actually 11 years from today) a big asteroid will fly close enough to the Earth to be visible without a telescope in Africa, Europe and Asia.
9. The movie “Alive” is based on the true story of a plane crash in South America. The unlucky event happened on Friday, October 13^th, 1972 and 14 survivors were found in the mountains more than two months after the plane went down.
10. Buckingham Palace was hit by five German bombs on Friday September 13^th 1940.  Both King George VI and Queen Elizabeth were close to being killed.
11. Finland dedicates one Friday the 13^th a year to National Accident Day, with the intention to raise awareness about safety.
12. Some years have up to 3 days of the magical Friday 13^th, but do not stress yet, the next year with 3 unlucky Fridays will be 2026.
13. 2018 has one more Friday suprise for us – the next (and last) Friday 13^th of this year will be in July. And then in 2019 we’ll have to wait until September for another Friday13^th.

Lucky or unlucky – we hope you enjoy your Friday!