Friday the 13th 2012 Fun Facts

Happy Friday the 13^th everyone! Some may consider this day to be a little unlucky, so it makes people superstitious, but there are a lot of interesting facts attached to this notable date.

To get in the spirit of the day, TravelersToday is providing a list of Friday the 13^th fun facts.

1. This year, Friday the 13^th occurs three times (Jan 13, April 13, July 13) instead of the usual two. The last time three occurred in a year was in 2009. However, the weird part is that they each occur 13 weeks apart from the other. This hasn't happened since 1984 and it is a rare occurrence as it only happens ever seventh leap year. The next time this will occur will be 2040.

2. People have an actual fear of today. Friday the 13^th is known as a suspicious date, but some people have a legitimate fear of today. The term is paraskevidekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.

3. Some famous people were triskaidekaphobic. President Franklin D. Roosevelt refused to travel on the 13^th day of any month and he would never have 13 guests at a meal. Napoleon and President Herbert Hoover also had a strong fear of the number 13.

4. More than 60 million people around the world have a fear of Friday the 13^th to different extents. Some have it so bad that they refuse to drive a car, leave the house, or even get out of bed out of a fear that something bad will happen.

5. Some actually find the number 13 to be very lucky. Country music star Taylor Swift was born on December 13, 1989. She turned 13 on a Friday the 13^th. Every night before a concert, she draws the number on her hand.

6. The thirteenth film of the Friday the 13^th series will be released on Friday, September 13, 2013. Five of the movies in the series were released on a Friday the 13^th.

7. The British Medical Journal did a study that shows that car accidents occur more often on Friday the 13^th. For several years, they compared car accident data on Friday the 6^th and Friday the 13^th for several years. They found that more people wind up in hospitals on Friday the 13^th due to car accidents. They concluded "Friday 13th is unlucky for some. The risk of hospital admission as a result of a transport accident may be increased by as much as 52 percent. Staying at home is recommended."

8. The longest period of time that can occur between a Friday the 13^th is fourteen months, meaning that some years only have the day once.

9. The Costa Concordia cruise ships crashed on January 13, 2012. Thirty-two people died in the crash off the Isola del Giglio in Italy.

10. If a month starts on a Sunday, it will have a Friday the 13^th.

11. Legendary rapper Tupac Shakur was shot and killed in Las Vegas on Friday the 13^th in 1996. Famous people born on Friday the 13th include Samuel Beckett (13 April 1906), Margaret Thatcher (13 October 1923), Fidel Castro (13 August 1926) and Steve Buscemi (13 December 1957).

12. A Friday the 13^th may mark the end of the world. Astronomers predict that an asteroid, 99942 Apiophis, measuring about 1,100 feet in width will come very close to earth on April 13, 2029.

13. The number 13 may have a bad reputations because it follows the number 12, which marks completeness. For instance, there are 12 months in a year, 12 hours on a clock, 12 zodiacs, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 Apostles of Jesus etc.