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This August 13th some people will be so paralyzed with fear they simply won't get out of bed. Others will steadfastly refuse to fly on an airplane, buy a house, or act on a hot stock tip. It's Friday the 13th, and they're freaked out.

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Friday the 13th, a phobia that afflicts 17 to 21 million people in the United States. According to some sources it's the most widespread superstition in the United States today. Some people refuse to go to work on Friday the 13th; some won't eat in restaurants; many wouldn't think of setting a wedding on the date. It's been estimated that [U.S] $800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day because people will not fly or do business they would normally do," said Donald Dossey, founder of the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina. Social Implication of Friday the 13th

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The fear of Friday the 13th : Paraskevidekatriaphobia Symptoms: Mild anxiety to full-blown panic attacks. The latter may cause people to reshuffle schedules or miss an entire day's work. Analysis: When it comes to bad luck of any kind, Richard Wiseman—a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield, England—found that people who consider themselves unlucky are more likely to believe in superstitions associated with bad luck. "Their beliefs and behavior are likely to be part of a much bigger worldview," he said. "They will believe that luck is a magical force and that it can ruin their lives.“

So how did Friday the 13th become such an unlucky day? : 

So how did Friday the 13th become such an unlucky day? A series of events have added to Friday the 13th’s reputation for bad luck, and horror.

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Friday the 13th traces back to a Dutch holiday where mischievous children would sneak into graveyards at night and defecate on tombstones. 2. The Aztecs brutally killed 39,000 in one day on Friday the 13th of August, 1539. This was done at the request of the recently arrived Hernan Cortez, who claimed to be a god seeking tribute. The next day he overthrew their empire. 3. In London’s summer of 1865, seven prostitutes, two flower sellers, three secretaries and a nun were assaulted on Friday July 13th by a crazy man wearing an athletic mask. The assailant would jump out of the shadows and present them with literature supporting the Conservative Party. As the women screamed and tried to run away, they were asked for donations repeatedly, up to 18 times in one case. Events that lead to superstition behind Friday the 13th:

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4. In 1881, a group of New Yorkers started the 13 Club, aimed at removing the superstitious stigma from the number. At their first meeting on Friday the 13th, all thirteen members walked under a ladder into a room filled spilled salt and broken mirrors. They all died in a freak accident involving a runaway truck and a rabid wolverine on its way to be put down. 5. On Friday June 13th of 1952, Massachusetts Governor Kyle McArthur banned all private automotive transportation on the unlucky day. Nine overcrowded city buses crashed into each other in downtown Boston. Billy Ray Cyrus, Bobby Brown, and Michael Bolton all released albums on Friday the 13th. 6. In France, Friday the 13th often fell on the day after the Feast of Saint Imbibecus. Thus the day was often associated with terrible hangovers and poor choices made the night before. Events that lead to superstition behind Friday the 13th:

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7. Hammurabi’s Code, the first set of state initiated laws, omits the number 13, leading some to believe the superstition dates back to Babylon in 1700 BC. However archaeologists agree that there indeed was a thirteenth law that was scratched out. Studies of ancient tablets indicate the law condoned cross dressing of government officials, but was probably removed at the advice of Hammurabi’s aides. 8. Most skyscrapers do not include a thirteenth floor. Gregory Johnson bravely included a thirteenth floor in his designs for the Empire State Building in New York. Three days after its completion, on a Friday, the weight of the building caused it to buckle and it crushed the thirteenth floor. It has been structurally sound ever since. Events that lead to superstition behind Friday the 13th:

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• If you cut your hair on Friday the 13th, someone in your family will die. • A child born on Friday the 13th will be unlucky for life. • If a funeral procession passes you on Friday the 13th, you will be the next to die. Friday the 13th Myths:

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• In 1913, a New York pastor tried to assuage couples' fears by offering to marry them for free on Friday the 13th. • In 1939, a small town in Indiana forced all black cats to wear bells on Friday, Oct. 13. When the measure seemed to work (nothing bad happened, at any rate), the town continued the practice for the next three years.  In 1907, eccentric Boston stockbroker Thomas Lawson published a book called Friday the Thirteenth, which told of an evil businessman's attempt to crash the stock market on the unluckiest day of the month. Thanks to an extensive ad campaign, the book sold well: nearly 28,000 copies within the first week. In 1916 the book was turned into a feature-length silent film. Friday the 13th Anecdotes:

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Then came Jason. In 1980, Paramount Pictures released Friday the 13th (tagline: "Fridays will never be the same again"), a slasher flick about a series of murders at a summer camp. Apparently Jason, born on Friday the 13th, chooses that date to take revenge on oversexed campers much like the ones who allowed him to drown in Crystal Lake. So much for trust falls and lanyard-making.

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Friday the 13th grossed almost $40 million at the box office and inspired a long-running franchise. Maybe the number 13 isn't so bad after all.

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References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th http://people.howstuffworks.com/friday-thirteenth.htm http://hunternuttall.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/friday-the-13th.jpg http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/2600000/New-Friday-the-13th-wallpaper-horror-movies-2653137-1280-1024.jpg http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/3800000/Friday-the-13th-horror-movies-3830712-1280-800.jpg http://i533.photobucket.com/albums/ee332/OctoberGirl77/Horror/horror77.jpg http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1879288,00.html#ixzz0tvxOMvCW