Happy What I Learned about Friday the 13th

Hi Friday-ers,

Sometimes, I like to teach you guys, like, stuff.  You know, important stuff.  Like the things I learned this week about Friday the 13^th:

1)     There’s an actual phobia, with a real name, for the fear of Friday the 13^th.  Friggatriskaidekaphobia.  Yep, you read it here folks.  It might be named after a Norse goddess and/or the word for the fear of the number 13 (triskaidekaphobia), and/or Greek words for Friday, 13, and fear.  (Really, I don’t think it matters where the term comes from.  I think it’s amazing there even is a name for that phobia.)

2)     In some cultures, like many who speak Greek or Spanish, Tuesday the 13^th is the day that is considered bad luck

3)     Here are my favorites. 

a.     The Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute estimates that 17-21 million people are affected by some level of fear of Friday the 13^th.  There is even an estimate that the US loses $800-900 million in business on the day.

b.    The Dutch Centre for Insurance Statistics indicated that there are fewer accidents, fire, and theft on Friday the 13^th because people are more careful, or more people simply stay home.

c.     BUT the British Medical Journal said (way back in 1993) that there are more traffic accidents on Friday the 13^th than on other average weekdays.

Overall, I think all of these things are completely silly, but endlessly amusing.  If you suffer from Friggatriskaidekaphobia, my honest apologies if I am offending you.

Image from here.