13 truly incredible Friday the 13th statistics

By Staff Reporter - 12 October 2017

Opinion and Features

Let's start with a question; is Friday 13th the unluckiest day of the year?

Most of you will probably answer with a resounding yes, with 49 million Brits known to dread Friday 13th. Not that we want to exacerbate your fears, but we have collated a number of facts and unfortunate coincidences that have taken place on this date down the years.

So without further ado, here they are in all of their fascinating glory: 

  1. For those of who believe in the power of the date, it is interesting to note that some of the world's most notorious figures have been born on Friday 13th. Take Fidel Castro, for example, who was the ex-President of Cuba and became a seminal figure in the nation's post-war dictatorship.
  2. In the Bible, Jesus was crucified on a Friday and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus was the 13th guest at the Last Supper.
  3. BMP 37093 was discovered by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics on Friday 13th. At the time this was the universe’s largest known diamond, white dwarf star, and this represents a slightly more positive development on the world's most infamous date.
  4. Cyclone Pam caused widespread damage in Vanuatu and the South Pacific leading to 15-16 deaths. The cyclone's sustained winds peaked on Friday 13th reaching a truly terrifying 250 km/h (155 mph).
  5. Until the lotto increased the numbers from 49 to 59 in October 2015 numbers 13 and 20 were by far the least drawn numbers. After all, who wants to include the number 13 on a ticket that is supposed to win them a fortune?
  6. Friday 13th is the cheapest day to fly in the UK with many avoiding flying on that date due to superstitious beliefs. With this in mind, why not get next summer's holiday booked up now for a pittance?
  7. The Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 carrying a rugby team crashed in the Andes on Friday 13th October 1972. 29 died due to the event with the remaining 16 resorting to cannibalism to survive, with this disaster having since become the subject of a major movie.
  8. Footballer Michael Chopra and model Heather Swan married on Friday 13th in 2008. The pair argued throughout their honeymoon and split only weeks later leading to a bitter divorce.
  9. The Aeroflot Flight 217 from Paris to Moscow crashed on approach to Sheremetyevo killing all 164 passengers and all 10 crew members.
  10. Some famous figures have also met their maker on Friday 13th, with one of the most renowned being the legendary rapper Tupac Shakur. The musician was killed on Friday, 13th September 1996, ending the career of a truly seminal and influential artist.
  11. Superstitious people from the rural areas of Northumberland and Durham believed that fairies and elves were a sign of threat to the family. Parents thought that fairies would steal their children and replace them with a changeling.
  12. In Wales, superstitious people believe that Friday is to be a day of bad luck and so miners would refuse to start any new work on a Friday. This still remains in place to this very day.
  13. We close on a positive and musical note, with Black Sabbath's first album being released on Friday 13th in 1970. It reached number eight in the UK Albums Chart as well as reaching number 23 on the Billboard 200.

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