Friday, October 12, 2007: All this week I‘ve been thinking that today was going to be the 13th of October. Friday the 13th. I came to work today wearing my lucky shoes and my usual Friday the 13th protective headgear. It was quite a relief to discover that today is actually only the 12th of October. It came as an even bigger relief when I looked ahead and realized that the next Friday the 13th won’t occur until June of 2008.
Despite its widespread acceptance as a day of bad luck, nobody knows exactly how Friday the 13th came to be associated with things dark and evil. There are lots of theories about how Friday the 13th came to be associated with bad luck, almost all of which were thought up long after the occurrence of the supposed catalyzing event. I like some of those theories despite their lack of truthfulness. As I used to tell my high school history teachers when going over some of the more creative answers on my history tests, just because something didn’t happen doesn’t mean that it isn’t true.
Of course, the number 13 is regarded by many people as an unlucky number in its own right regardless of where or how it occurs. When they aren’t busy collecting stamps or studying the bumps on people’s heads, numerologists contrast the number 13 with its wholesome younger predecessor, the number 12. There are 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, the 12 gods of Olympus, the 12 labors of Hercules, the 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 eggs in a dozen, Twelve Days of Christmas, etc. The number 13 has no such bragging rights.
The number 13 has a long and sordid personal history, replete with unsavory characters and unsettling events. For example, Judas was the 13th disciple. In ancient Rome, witches gathered in groups of 12, and if there was the presence of a 13th entity at such a gathering, it was assumed to be the devil. It is said by an authoritative source (either The Da Vinci Code or Harry Potter) that King Philip of France arrested the revered Knights Templar on a Friday the 13th. Jesus was crucified on a Friday (ironically now known as Good Friday). In British tradition, executions were held on Fridays, and supposedly there were 13 steps leading up to the gallows (but only one leading back down). It has been suggested by Biblical scholars that Eve tempted Adam with the apple on a Friday, and that Cain slew Abel on a Friday. Some believe that Great Flood began on a Friday. (My guess is that it was a Friday before a three-day weekend).
It’s tempting to dismiss all that about a mere number and a simple day of the week. But more than 80% of all high-risebuildings in the United States do not have a 13th floor. Many airports do not have a Gate 13. Airplanes do not have a Row 13. Hospitals and hotels routinely skip the number 13 from their rooms. The number 13 is not included in the Italian lottery. Many cities do not have 13th Street or 13th Avenue. In France, a group of socialites made themselves available as short-notice 14th guests to keep dinner parties from having only 13 attendees.
We all know what happened to the Apollo 13 space mission. It’s been estimated that up to $900 million is lost in business on every Friday the 13th because so many people will not fly or do business they would otherwise have done that day. Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert de Salvo all have 13 letters in their names. And if that last fact isn’t chilling enough for you, then consider that Fidel Castro and both the Olsen Twins were born on a Friday the 13th.
Tom Tyner of Bainbridge Island writes a weekly humor column for this newspaper. This is from his “Classics” file.
