There is no reliable source to show us where the superstition for Friday the 13th comes from but the fact remains that millions around the world are more cautious on this day, out of fear that something fatal might happen to them.
Several coincidences, taken from history and legends, reveal that this is definitely no ordinary day, even when it occurs several times per year.
The 1st famous fatal event to transpire on Friday the 13th was the massacre of thousands of Knights Templar in the year 1307 on orders of the French king Philip IV and Pope Clement V.
NASA's most famous space program - Apollo, would also face disaster with this devilish number. Apollo 13, which was supposed to land on the Moon, experienced an accident shortly after liftoff. The crew of the spacecraft was saved but everyone was shocked that the accident befell the 13th Apollo mission, which launched off at 13:13, interestingly enough.
According to a British legend, toward the end of the 18th century the English decided to disprove the superstition and they built a ship named "Friday".
Its construction began on Friday the 13th and it set sail on the open sea on yet another Friday the 13th. But since its leaving port, no one has since seen the ship or its crew.
One of the worst shipwrecks of the 20th century is also linked with Friday the 13th. On December 13th, 1907, one of the largest ships at the time set sail, hit a reef and sunk.
Friday the 13th, 1976 turned out to be the unluckiest day for New Yorker Daz Baxter. The man was exceptionally superstitious and he had decided to spend every single minute of the ill-fated day in his bed, to avoid misfortune.
However, the floor of his apartment collapsed and he met his death 6 floors down.
There are now numerous restrictions all because of Friday the 13th. In many hospitals there is no 13th floor. Many hotels also don't have a 13th floor and room #13. In Florence, there's no streets with numbered 13.
The US state of Indiana has a law where black cat owners need to tie a bell on their cat on Friday the 13th, to warn passersby from afar.
