Is Friday the 13th scarier than other days of the year? Here are some of the bad things that have happened on Friday the 13th throughout history.
12 Odd and Creepy Real Things That Happened on Friday the 13th
On Friday, Oct. 13, 1307 …
The French rounded up thousands of Knights Templars and tortured them as heretics. Some wonder whether this was the beginning of the whole Friday the 13th mythology (if it is a myth … ). An interesting piece of history trivia indeed.
On Friday, Nov. 13, 1829 …
Ten thousand people gathered to watch Sam Patch jump into New York’s Genesee River from atop the Genesee Falls. Only weeks earlier, he’d leaped off Niagara Falls (which has a massive tunnel underneath it, by the way) and into the Niagara River and survived. He wasn’t as lucky this time.
On Friday, Oct. 13, 1972 …
A plane crashed in the Andes. Twelve people died instantly, and survivors resorted to cannibalism. You probably didn’t know these things are considered bad luck.
That same day in Russia …
One hundred and seventy-four people were killed when a Russian airliner crashed on landing near Moscow.
On Friday, Aug. 13, 2010 …
A 13-year-old boy in Suffolk, England, was struck by lightning. The lightning reportedly hit at 1:13 p.m., or 13:13 in military time. The boy survived unharmed.
On Friday, Oct. 13, 2006 …
Nearly half a million people lost power when Buffalo, New York, and the surrounding suburbs were buried under 22 to 24 inches of snow. Western New York is used to a lot of snow, but 24 inches? In October?! Researchers still can’t explain the ancient mystery.
On Friday, Oct. 13, 1989 …
The stock market fell a whopping 6.91%. At the time, it was the second-worst day in market history. Definitely an unlucky day for those investing in stocks.
On Friday, July 13, 1979 …
Bob Renphrey decided to stay in bed every subsequent Friday the 13th because of a spate of bad luck he’d suffered on that unlucky day, such as walking through a plate glass door, getting fired and putting his wife in the hospital after hitting her in the head with a stick meant for the dog. Another Friday the 13th saw his wife fall down a flight of stairs.
On Friday, July 13, 1951 …
Here’s an ocean mystery: After days of record-setting rain fell in northeastern Kansas, swollen rivers poured over their banks, consuming the cities of Topeka, Lawrence and Manhattan in the process.
On Friday, Jan. 13, 2012 …
The cruise ship Costa Concordia partially sank off the Italian coast after running aground, killing 32.
On Friday, April 13, 2029 …
Asteroid 99942 Apophis is forecast to pass Earth a scant 18,000 miles away, closer than any of the satellites we’ve put into orbit.
On every Friday the 13th …
The world’s economy apparently loses about $900 million because people are afraid to work and travel on this date, says Donald Dassey, founder of the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute.
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