Fun Facts Friday: Friday the 13th

Are you superstitious? Do you quake a little when you realize the day is Friday the 13th? If so, you are not alone. Apparently, approximately 21 million Americans suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia, two terms that mean "the fear of Friday the 13th".

Following are 13 facts about the day...

1. There is at least one Friday the 13th in every year and at most there are three (there will be 3 this year including today, March 13 and November 13).
2. In any 400-year period, there are 688 Friday the 13ths.
3. The first reference to an unlucky Friday the 13th came in an 1869 biography of the composer Rossini who died on Friday, November 13, 1868.
4. Tupac Shakur was killed on Friday the 13th.
5. Fidel Castro was born on Friday the 13th.
6. The longest period that can occur without a Friday the 13th is 14 months.
7. On Friday April 13, 2029, the asteroid 99942 will make its closest encounter with the Earth.
8. On Friday, October 13, 1307, officers of King Philip IV of France raided the homes of Crusade warriors, imprisoned them, and tortured them to death.
9. Alfred Hitchcock was born on Friday the 13th. His 100th birthday would have been Friday, August 13, 1999.
10. Mediaeval Christians thought Friday unlucky because Christ was killed on Friday and the number 13 as evil because Judas Iscariot was the 13th disciple at the Last Supper.
11. Research in Finland has shown that women are more likely to die in traffic accidents on Friday the 13th than any other Friday (figures for men show no difference).
12. The British Navy is said to have built a ship named "Friday the 13th" which on its maiden voyage left dock on a Friday the 13th and was never heard from again.
13. Friday the 13th is considered a good day to register for your first 13 mile run with Team In Training!*

* OK, that last one is not so much a fact, but it's our belief that you will not regret the decision to sign up for a half marathon (or even a marathon or bike ride). Summer season at TNT is off to a great start and it is not too late to join us for the San Diego Marathon Weekend or America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride in Lake Tahoe. Contact us TODAY!