Little Known Friday the 13th Events and Facts

Friday the 13th is believed to be a day of bad luck. Luckily it only occurs one more time this year on July 13.

The fear associated with is called friggatriskaidekaphobia. It is a real fear, and some people who have this disorder are even too afraid to say the words “Friday the 13th.” Others avoid public and social interaction on the day for fear of death.

Hazelwood's Connections to Friday the 13th

Did you know the US Supreme Court handed down its ruling in the infamous case v. Kuhlmeier on Jan. 13, 1988? It's not a Friday, but, it was the marking on censorship in school newspapers and just about every high school journalism class since then learns about the historic decision.

The ruling gave public school administrations broad power to censor school newspapers. The Supreme Court ruled student newspapers not established specifically for the purpose of providing students with a forum for free expression, are subject to lower levels of First Amendment protection. Thus the court allowed public schools to put restrictions on what could appear in school-sponsored student publications.

In this case, it was a publication the district fully-funded and students wanted to publish about teen pregnancy and divorce. The school principal felt the content needed to be removed for the Friday, May 13, 1983 issue.

Other Friday the 13th Dates

Want to know more about historical Friday the 13th dates? Hazelwood Patch has compiled a list:

1. Jason Voorhees: Five of the twelve films in the Friday the 13th series were released on a Friday the 13th.
2. Tupac: Known as one of the greatest rappers of all time, Tupac Amaru Shakur was pronounced dead on September 13, 1996, although many feel he may have faked his own death.
3. Bad Credit: On January 13, 2012, Standard & Poor's downgraded the credit ratings of France, Austria, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
4. Biblical Time: One of the 12 Apostles, Judas who betrayed Jesus, was labelled the thirteenth guest at the Last Supper. Some will argue there are a few references to Friday and the number 13 in the Bible associating it in an unlucky manner. The great flood during the time of Noah began on a Friday. The day Eve tempted Adam with the apple was a Friday, and the day Jesus Christ died was Good Friday. 
5. End of the World: The asteroid 99942 Apiophis will make a close encounter with Earth on April 13, 2029.  Apiophis is the size of The Rose Bowl and about 1,100 feet in width. It will come as close as 18,000 miles from Earth. According to Wikipedia, the asteroid will be close enough to Earth that, even in daylight, observers will see a bright object move across the sky. If the asteroid enters a specific trajectory known as “they keyhole,” Earth’s gravity will ensure that the asteroid heads off towards the Sun on a trajectory that will guarantee it will strike the Earth the next time it comes around. That impact could be the equivalent of 100,000 nuclear bombs and would destroy thousands of square miles.

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