Is this a new twist on an old superstition, or is this day any different than any other day? Perhaps, because this is the third time we see it this year.
Fear is likely rooted in Christianity. Jesus was crucified on a Friday and ever since the day has been associated with "general ill omen," Michael Bailey, a history professor at Iowa State University who specializes in the origins of superstitions, told USA TODAY Network.
Weddings in the Middle Ages, for instance, were not held on Fridays and it was not a day someone would start a journey, Bailey said.
Thirteen guests are believed to have attended the Last Supper, the night before Jesus was killed, according to Stuart Vyse, a psychology professor at Connecticut College. And Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, is considered to have been the 13th guest, Vyse said.
The superstition's origins are mysterious. It's unclear when Friday and number 13 became linked in the way we think of them today,
No. You're not more likely to make a trip to the hospital, but a friend told me he and his family were having his yearly physical.
European based reserach published in the World Journal of Surgery explored whether there is a link between Friday the 13th and an increase of blood loss and the frequency of emergency room visits on those days. Researchers reviewed 3,281 days at a hospital facility that included 15 Friday the 13ths. They found no correlation.
November 13, 2015 happens to be the third of three Friday the 13ths this year. Other dates this year include February 13 and March 13. In 2014, Friday the 13th came along once on June 13. After Friday, we'll have to wait until May 13, 2016 for the next "unlucky" date.
Why a trilogy of Friday the 13ths in 2015?
2015 has three Friday the 13ths. What are the odds? | Human World | EarthSky: http://earthsky.org/human-world/three-friday-13ths-in-2015-february-13-…
At least one celebrity swears by Friday the 13th: Taylor Swift Explains Why 13 Is Her Lucky Number http://on.mtv.com/1tRKa9F via @MTVNews
Unlucky for some: Friday the 13th -live | via @Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11992716/friday…