Why 13 is famous as Unlucky?
Why people tend to believe on such superstitions?
What is the effect of such superstitions?
What is so interesting about 13?
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The abnormal fear of the number 13 also known as triskaidekaphobia is one of the most popular myths in science and have no scientific explanations. Many people believe that 13 is an unlucky number. So whenever such people encounters or interacts with number 13, they conjure up some thought connected with bad luck. You might have noticed that many hotels do not have room with number 13. Many buildings do not have 13th floor. It is sometimes numbered as 12A. The fear of Friday the 13th known as paraskevidekatriaphobia has its roots in many countries. All these are superstitious views.
Why 13 is famous as Unlucky?
Alexander wanted to be a God and accordingly made a 13th statue on the place of his capital. He died and people considered that his will to be a 13th God (12 gods, one for each month were known) was the reason of his death. After that this number was considered as unlucky.
According to historians, there were 13 people at Christs Last Supper and Christ was crucified on Friday 13th. So, Friday 13th is considered as Unlucky.
On Friday 13th October 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the arrest of the Knights Templar . The Templars were charged with numerous offences. Many of the accused confessed to these charges under torture. Many stories claim that the Friday the 13th superstition comes from the historical destruction of the Knights Templar.
Why people tend to believe on such superstitions?
Let us see some reported incidences given below:
The Rail Gazette International carried the following report in its April 1979 issue:
" As reported in last month, opening of Indian Railway's Hassan-Mangalore line marks completion of a construction task every bit as difficult as the Waltair-Kirandul mineral line which so severely taxed I.R.Engineers a decade ago. In the highly unstable terrain of this part of Karnataka, new solutions had to be found to a number of complex engineering problems.
Not the least of the difficulties was tunnel No. 13 where 5 rock falls impeded progress for months. Even Alpine-trained Engineers were perplexed until some one came up with the simplest of solutions. The tunnel was renamed as No. 12-A and suddenly all was well."
In a British study published in the British Medical Journal in 1993, titled " Is Friday the 13th Bad for Your Health?", a comparison was made between the ratios of traffic volume to number of accidents on two different days i.e. Friday 6th and Friday 13th. It was concluded that though the traffic volume was less on Friday 13th, the number of hospitalizations due to accidents were more. Their conclusion: "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."
The most famous example of unlucky 13 myths is the unsuccessful mission of Apollo 13 launched at 13.13 hours.There was an explosion of an oxygen tank of Apollo 13, which was on its way to moon. The explosion occurred on April 13, 1970. Apollo 13 was the only unsuccessful mission by the United States of Americas NASA program to land a mission on the moon.
Update on 13-06-2003
Columbia Space Shuttle sent into space on 16-01-2003 (1+6+0+1+2+0+0+3 = 13) exploded during reentry and all crew members including Kalpana Chawla (The no. of letters = 13) of India died.
UPHAAR CINEMA TRAGEDY CASE (INDIA): A fire took place at Uphaar Cinema building, Delhi (India) on friday 13th June, 1997 resulting in the death of 59 persons and injury to about 100 persons.
Update on 13-11-2012
The number 13 is not used on Formula 1 cars. The FIA Formula 1 World Championship entry list does not have a number 13 because it was removed after two drivers, both driving cars numbered 13, were killed in crashes. The number is generally considered to be an unlucky number.
The Mercedes-Benz, carrying Princess Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed, had hit the 13th pillar of Pont de l'Alma at a speed of 105 km/h, resulting in the death of the Princess of Wales and her beau, the night of 31st August, 1997.
1970 Bangladesh Cyclone: On Friday, 13 November, 1970, a massive storm that strike the shores of the Ganges Delta in Bangladesh devastated the densely populated delta region killing lakhs of people in the 20th century's worst disaster by cyclone.
What is the effect of such superstitions?
Some people won't go to work on Friday the 13th.
Some people won't eat in restaurants on Friday the 13th
Some people may not like wedding on Friday the 13th.
Some people don't like to travel on Friday the 13th.
Hospital beds, operating rooms and maternity units have avoided numbering rooms with the number 13.
Its not unusual to find auditorium and stadium seats where number 13 is missing. Even airlines and theaters avoid using the number thirteen.
Many buildings don't have 13th floor. Many hotels don't have a room with number 13. It is sometimes called as 12A. Because superstitious people avoid themselves to be admitted into a hotel room with the number 13 or on the 13th floor of buildings.
According to superstition, any one with 13 letters in their name is regarded to have Devil's luck.
Brussels Airlines even had to change its logo after superstitious passengers complained quite strongly about the 13 dots that were used to create the letter "B" in the Brussels Airlines logo. They actually changed the logo to meet consumer needs.
It has been estimated by various sources that U.S. businesses lose millions of dollars because of canceled appointments, absenteeism, etc. on Friday, the 13th.