13 events that took place on Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th has long been viewed as bad luck, but do bad things really happen more often on those days? Here's a look at 13 events — good, bad and otherwise — that have occurred on a Friday the 13th.
Nov. 13, 2015: Series of terrorist attacks hit Paris
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A series of terrorist attacks hit Paris and the northern suburb of Saint-Denis, Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. Six total attacks occurred, including mass shooting at an Eagles of Death Metal concert in the Bataclan theater that led to a stand-off with police. In total, the attackers killed 130 people and injured more than 400.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks, which were the deadliest inflicted on France since World War II.
In this photo, people light candles while paying their respect in front of The Belle Equipe restaurant in Paris, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015.
Jan. 13, 2012: The Costa Concordia runs aground
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The Costa Concordia ran aground off the coast of Tuscany, overnight on Friday, Jan. 13, 2012, sending water pouring in through a 160-foot (50-meter) gash in the hull and forcing the evacuation of some 4,200 people from the listing vessel. Thirty-two passengers died, as well as one salvage crew member. The captain, who was heavily criticized for leaving the ship before the passengers, was later charged with manslaughter.
Although the disaster occurred on Friday the 13th, the superstition is not shared among Italians, who generally consider Friday the 17th to be a day of bad luck.
The luxury cruise ship is shown here on it its side Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012.
Oct. 13, 2006: New York gets bizarre fall storm
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A rare early October snowstorm left parts of western New York blanketed with 2 feet of snow on the morning of Friday, Oct. 13, 2006, prompting widespread blackouts, closing schools and halting traffic.
Trace amounts of snow that early in the season are common for the area, but the highest previously recorded total for October in Buffalo was 3.1 inches in 1972, according to weather.gov.
This photo shows downed trees blocking driving lanes in Buffalo, N.Y.
Aug. 13, 2004: The Olympics return to Athens
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The opening ceremony of the 2004 Olympic Games took place on Friday, Aug. 13, 2004. It marked the return of the Olympics to the city in which the modern games began in 1896.
Sept. 13, 1996: Tupac Shakur dies
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Rapper Tupac Shakur died on Sept. 13, 1996. He was shot four times during a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996.
Shakur is shown here speaking as fellow rap artist Snoop Doggy Dogg listens during a voter registration rally in South Central Los Angeles, on Aug. 15, 1996, file photo.
Oct. 13, 1972: Flight 571 crashes in the Andes
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Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 was carrying 45 people when it crashed in the Andes on Friday, Oct. 13, 1972. Many died during the crash or later from cold temperatures, injuries and an avalanche that struck their shelter.
Sixteen of them survived 72 days in the Andes before they were rescued. Official sources said some of the survivors acknowledged eating parts of bodies to avoid starvation, according to the Associated Press.
Eight of the survivors are shown here huddling together in the craft's fuselage on their final night before rescue on Dec. 27, 1972. A mountain rescue team brought them food.
Nov. 13, 1970: Bhola cyclone dissipates
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The Bhola cyclone that hit East Pakistan (present day Bengladesh) dissipated Friday, Nov. 13, 1970, after killing up to 500,000 people according to some counts.
It remains the deadliest tropical cyclone in recorded history.
This is an aerial view of devastation in the aftermath of the cyclone, Nov. 1970.
March 13, 1964: Kitty Genovese is murdered in Queens
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Catherine "Kitty" Genovese, a bar manager, was stabbed to death on Friday, March 13, 1964 as she returned home to the Kew Gardens section of Queens, New York at 3:20 a.m. According to police, 38 people looked on but did nothing as Genovese was stalked by her attacker and attacked three different times over the period of half an hour.
While details of the slaying were proven inaccurate over the decades, psychology instructors and students still operate off the original "parable" of bad Samaritans united in their indifference to distress, according to an article by three British professors. The incident led to what is commonly referred to as the "bystander effect."
Dec. 13, 1957: Steve Buscemi is born
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Actor Steve Buscemi was born Friday, Dec. 13, 1957, in Brooklyn, New York.
Horror movie legend Alfred Hitchcock is often credited with being born on a Friday the 13th as well. However, Hitchcock was born on Aug. 13, 1899, which was a Sunday.
Sept. 13, 1940: German bombs hit Buckingham Palace
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While bombs hit Buckingham Palace several times during World War II, the most serious instance occurred Sept. 13, 1940. The hit destroyed the palace's chapel
In this photo, Britain's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth stand near the spot where a bomb hit during a night raid on London.
Jan. 13, 1939: Black Friday bushfires
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Known as the Black Friday fires, the bushfires on Jan. 13 1939, in Victoria, Australia, were part of an especially devastating fire season. They followed a drought that lasted several years. About 2 million hectares were burned and 71 people died.
July 13, 1821: Nathan Bedford Forrest is born
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Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest was born Friday, July 13, 1821 in Chapel Hill, Tennessee. Forrest served as the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
Oct. 13, 1307: Philip IV arrests hundreds of the Knights Templar
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Hundreds of the Knights Templar were arrested Friday, Oct. 13, 1307, by order of France's Philip IV. The event is sometimes credited for being the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition. However, references to the unlucky day didn't appear until hundreds of years later.
Modern mentions of the 1307 date being the original "Friday the 13th" include Maurice Druon's historical novel "The Iron King (Le Roi de fer)" (1955), John J. Robinson's "Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry" (1989), and Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" (2003).
The origin of Friday the 13th is also credited to the story of Jesus' crucifixion because he was killed on a Friday and there were 13 people at the last supper.
As featured on
Airline ticket prices dip, your superstitious boss avoids important meetings, there's a small part of you that's just waiting for something weird to happen. But why are we like this?
Friday the 13th has long been viewed as bad luck, but do bad things really happen more often on those days?
Here's a look at 13 events — good, bad and otherwise — that have occurred on a Friday the 13th.
