C.M. Johnson - Friday the 13th

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12

Some people are afraid to even

step outside on Friday the 13th.

[Friday the 13th]

2 Urban Legends

Introduction

Many people hate the number

The 13th oor of a building is

often not marked. It is too hard to

rent it out. People do not like to

have people at a table. This fear

has at least two origins. Thirteen

men went to the Last Supper, and

one betrayed Jesus Christ. And,

in a Norse myth, the evil god Loki

crashes a party of The party ends in death.

Early people kept track of good and bad events. They noted when they

took place. They made lists of lucky and unlucky days, and Friday was

one of the unluckiest. In the 19th century,

the fears of Friday and of the number

came together. Many sailors will not go out

to sea on that day. Some actors will not

go on stage. Some people are so scared

of Friday the 13th that it is classied as a

phobia . Are people right to be afraid?

Did you know?

The fear of Friday

the 13th is called

friggatriskaidekaphobia.

The word comes from

Frigga, the Norse goddess

for whom Friday is named,

and triskaidekaphobia, the

fear of the number

In Norse myth, Loki likes to

cause trouble wherever he goes.

classied: assigned to a

category or type

phobia: an extreme fear

Superstitions

Best Recorded Sighting

In 1907, a stockbroker named Thomas Lawson wrote a novel called

Friday the Thirteenth . In the book, an evil broker wants to crash the

stock market . He picks the unlucky date of Friday the 13th to do it. He

hopes to use fear to his advantage. In 1989, life imitated art. On Friday,

October 13, the market began to fall. No one knew why. At the end of

the day, the market had gone through the largest drop since the Great

Depression (19291939). The event

is now called the Friday the 13th

minicrash. Some people think the

drop helped lead to a recession in

the 1990s.

Traders on Wall Street in New York were

in a panic on Friday, October 13, 1989.

stock market: a system in

which shares of companies

are bought and sold

recession: a period of time

in which business is slow

4 Urban Legends

The stock market is very sensitive. Many

world events can impact how successful

a trading day might be. Sometimes, the

actions companies take make the stock

market fall. Was the minicrash caused by a

bad business choice? Or were people more

afraid than usual of taking risks with their money? Could they have

been spooked by the date on the calendar? Or did the day itself cause

bad things to happen?

Did you know?

The worlds rst stock

markets date back to

Belgium in the 1500s.

On Friday, January 13, 1989, the

Friday the 13th virus hit personal

computers all over Great Britain.

Superstitions

Ti m e l i n e

The number has had

a frightening history.

1400

In Georey Chaucers

The Canterbury Tales ,

Friday is called a day

of ill luck.

1571

At a gallows in London,

England, the hangman

is paid pence per

execution. The person

to be hanged climbs

steps. Hangings occur

on Fridays.

Mid1800s

American newspapers

begin to refer to Friday as a

bad day to do business, get

married, or go on a trip.

1881

A group called the Thirteen

Club tries to improve the

numbers reputation. The

club has members.

6 Urban Legends

1925

The New York Times

says that Wall Street

activity slows every

Friday the 13th.

1980

In the movie Friday the

13th , one of the characters

gets bloody revenge on

teenage campers.

1993

A British study nds a

higher level of trac

accidents on Friday

the 13th.

20062008

A Dutch study nds fewer

trac accidents on Friday

the 13th. They also see

fewer res and thefts.

2014

Money Magazine

says that Wall Street

markets do well on

Friday the 13th.

Superstitions

Evidence For and Against

Studies do not agree about the eect of Friday the 13th on res and

thefts. However, dreading the day makes many people sad and afraid.

Recently, a study was done in North Carolina. It found that $800 to

$900 million is lost in the United States each year due to Friday the

13th. Shoppers stay home to avoid ill luck. People call in sick to work.

Can these nerves explain the stock market crash of 1989? In 1960, an

English window washer killed himself. In a note, he put some of the

blame on a rainy Friday the 13th.

Missing work due to a fear of Friday the 13th

can cause people to get behind in their tasks,

which in turn can make them feel even worse.

8 Urban Legends

Bad things do happen on Friday the 13th. But is it an evil day? Or does

fear help create the bad luck?

Donald Dossey helps people who have high stress levels. He says

that phobias are not healthy. Avoiding certain numbers and days can

become the focus of a persons life. People have trouble doing their

work. It can be hard for them to relax. They cannot enjoy time with

friends. This can cause stress. It can even make them sick.

Getting Help

People who feel their superstitions

have become unhealthy can go

to the Friggatriskaidekaphobia

Treatment Center in Pennsylvania.

Next page

12

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