Saturday, August 13, 2005

I have a phobia of your phobia.

In honor of it being August 13th, I thought I'd share some interesting facts about the superstitious number...

  • Triskaidekaphobia is an irrational fear of the number 13.
  • Past disasters linked to the number 13 hardly help triskaidekaphobics overcome their affliction. The most famous is the Apollo 13 mission, launched on April 11, 1970 (the sum of 4, 11 and 70 equals 85 - which when added together comes to 13), from Pad 39 (three times 13) at 13:13 local time, and struck by an explosion on April 13.
  • Napolean, Franklin Roosevelt, and Mark Twain were triskaidekaphobics. Roosevelt, specifically, would not eat at a table with 13 place settings.
  • More than 80 percent of high-rises lack a 13th floor.
  • Many airports skip the 13th gate.
  • Airplanes do not have a 13th aisle.
  • Many cities do not have a 13th street or 13th avenue (save Sacramento).
  • If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck. Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names.
  • The 13th falls on Friday more than any other day of the week.


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