Friday the 13th History

Happy Friday the 13th from your friends at Berkshire Hathaway McMillen & Associates! This week, we decided to give you some spooky history behind this rare occurrence.

So, where did the superstition of Friday the 13th come from?

13 may have become a superstition in part due to the importance of the number 12 — 12 months a year, 12 zodiac signs, 12-hour days, etc. Once the significance of 12 was identified, the fear of the number 13 came about. In fact, Arnold Schoenberg had a severe case of the number 13, otherwise known as triskaidekaphobia. Believe it or not, Schnoenberg then died on Friday, the 13th of July, 1951. His phobia as well as his untimely death became a source of hysteria.

Unrelated to the number 13, many believed the day Friday to be superstitious due to Jesus being crucified on a Friday. Many writers began to refer to Fridays as a “day of misfortune,” though there is no context as to why. Essentially, Friday and the number 13 became superstitious separately. At some point in history, we decided to combine them, making Friday the 13th the most superstitious day of the year.

We hope you enjoyed this bit of trivia and have a safe and healthy Friday the 13th!

Source: Marika Gerken, CNN