Some say the superstitious belief that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day originated in ancient times, but there’s no historical evidence to suggest that the superstition is much more than a century or so old.
Fridays have an unlucky reputation going back a few centuries, and the number 13 has struck fear in some people’s hearts since the early 1800s. But these separate superstitions didn’t merge into a fear of Friday the 13th until around the turn of the 20th century.
Snopes.com’s David Mikkelson has compiled a fascinating overview of what’s known and unknown about the history of the calendar’s most star-crossed day.
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