Is Friday the 13th more scary than other days of the year? These bizarre events all took place on Friday the 13th throughout history.
12 Odd and Creepy Real Things That Happened on Friday the 13th
Odd Friday the 13th occurrences
It’s a day when people avoid walking under ladders and crossing black cats. It’s also the namesake of a classic horror movie franchise. We’re, of course, talking about Friday the 13th. Many consider Friday the 13th unlucky, a superstition that can truly affect someone’s actions on that date. And sure, while some lucky things have happened on the date, some odd (and even creepy) events have taken place. Below, you’ll find real things that actually happened on Friday the 13th. Were these events tangled in fate, or simply eerie coincidences? You decide.
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On Friday, Oct. 13, 1307 …
The French rounded up thousands of Knights Templars and tortured them as heretics. Some wonder whether this was the beginning of the whole Friday the 13th mythology (if it is a myth …). An interesting piece of history trivia indeed.
On Friday, Nov. 13, 1829 …
Ten thousand people gathered to watch Sam Patch jump into New York’s Genesee River from atop the Genesee Falls. Only weeks earlier, he’d leaped off Niagara Falls (which has a massive tunnel underneath it, by the way) and into the Niagara River and survived. He wasn’t as lucky this time.
On Friday, Oct. 13, 1972 …
A plane crashed in the Andes. Twelve people died instantly, and survivors resorted to cannibalism. You probably didn’t know these things are considered bad luck.
That same day in Russia …
One hundred and seventy-four people were killed when a Russian airliner crashed on landing near Moscow. Friday the 13th is just the start—here are more unlucky days around the world.
On Friday, Aug. 13, 2010 …
A 13-year-old boy in Suffolk, England, was struck by lightning. The lightning reportedly hit at 1:13 p.m., or 13:13 in military time. The boy survived unharmed. Check out some bizarre origins of other superstitions.
On Friday, Oct. 13, 2006 …
Nearly half a million people lost power when Buffalo, New York, and the surrounding suburbs were buried under 22 to 24 inches of snow. Western New York is used to a lot of snow, but 24 inches? In October?! Researchers still can’t explain these ancient mysteries.
On Friday, Oct. 13, 1989 …
The stock market fell a whopping 6.91%. At the time, it was the second-worst day in market history. Definitely an unlucky day for those investing in stocks.
On Friday, July 13, 1979 …
Bob Renphrey decided to stay in bed every subsequent Friday the 13th because of a spate of bad luck he’d suffered on that unlucky day, such as walking through a plate glass door, getting fired and putting his wife in the hospital after hitting her in the head with a stick meant for the dog. Another Friday the 13th saw his wife fall down a flight of stairs.
On Friday, July 13, 1951 …
After days of record-setting rain fell in northeastern Kansas, swollen rivers poured over their banks, consuming the cities of Topeka, Lawrence and Manhattan in the process. Scientists still can’t explain these ocean mysteries.
On Friday, Jan. 13, 2012 …
The cruise ship Costa Concordia partially sank off the Italian coast after running aground, killing 32. Don’t miss some of the strangest unsolved mysteries of all time.
On Friday, April 13, 2029 …
Asteroid 99942 Apophis is forecast to pass Earth a scant 18,000 miles away, closer than any of the satellites we’ve put into orbit.
On every Friday the 13th …
The world’s economy apparently loses about $900 million because people are afraid to work and travel on this date, says Donald Dassey, founder of the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute. Next, read about these crazy conspiracy theories that turned out to be true.
