It’s no secret that many people believe that Friday the 13th brings bad luck, similar to walking under a ladder, crossing paths with a black cat, or breaking a mirror. We’ve rounded up 8 (not 13) things that have actually happened on the day.
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Friday the 13th
According to research done by the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in the United States, as many as 21 million people in the US are fearful of Friday the 13th. It has been estimated that because of these fears, around $800 million to $900 million is lost in business every Friday the 13th.
Sept. 13, 1940
Several newspapers corroborate that German forces bombed Buckingham Palace on Friday, September 13, 1940, during WWII. The bombs hit both the palace and its chapel. Even scarier, the King and Queen were both at the residence at the time of the attack.
Jul. 13, 1821
One of the worst people to have been born on Friday the 13th was Nathan Bedford Forrest, the Grand Wizard and founder of the Ku Klux Klan. Born on July 13, 1821, Nathan was in charge of the Fort Pillow Massacre, where he and his men killed over 200 unarmed Union soldiers, most of whom were black.
Oct. 13, 1972
Uruguayan Flight 571 was headed towards Chile when it crash-landed in the Andes on October 13, 1972. In the following days, the survivors were reduced to eating deceased passengers.
On that same day, another flight crashed in Russia
At the time, the tragedy of Aeroflot 217 was the worst plane crash in Russian history. All 174 people on board the flight, including 10 crew members, died when the plane crashed while trying to land due to bad weather. Some speculate it was because of a lightning strike. The plane ended up just 3 miles away from the runway.
Aug. 13, 1976
Reportedly, in August 1976, a man named Daz Baxter chose to stay home in bed. It was Friday the 13th, and he feared if he went out something terrible would happen to him. Unfortunately, while at home, the floor of his apartment collapsed and he fell six stories to his death.
Aug. 13, 2010
According to the Daily Mail, the unnamed teenager was struck by lightning while at an air show in England in 2010 and was treated only for burns on his shoulder. He was hit by a stroke of lightning on Friday the 13th, 13:13, at 13 years old. The hospital stated he was expected to make a full recovery.
Mar. 13, 2020
Friday, March 13, 2020, could be considered the first official day of the pandemic worldwide. Most countries declared the COVID-19 virus was officially a pandemic, after a week of increasingly horrifying updates.
Apr. 13, 2029
According to NASA, an asteroid will come within 20,000 miles of the Earth on April 13, 2029. You’ll even be able to see it from Earth, no telescope needed. Although it’s not expected to actually hit our planet, the closeness of the asteroid could cause damage on its surface — the gravity of Earth might cause avalanches on Apophis.
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