Believe in luck?
Tomorrow marks first of three Friday the 13ths this year For many Friday the 13th is surrounded by superstition and fear. For hundreds of years, the combination of Friday, the day that Jesus was crucified, and the unlucky number 13 was assumed to bring bad luck to all. Tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 13, is the first Friday the 13th of the year. That's right. There are three of them this year. April and July each bring another Friday the 13th. On average, there is a Friday the 13th once every 212.35 days. So, there's no getting away from them. While some people insist there's nothing to it, still others feel it doesn't hurt to be prepared for the worst or at best a mishap or two. A look down memory lane, historically speaking, brings up these events, all of which occurred on a Friday the 13th. Some decidedly negative but others less so. Either way, it is estimated that 25 million people have some level of anxiety about Friday the 13th. If that's the case, locally it seems, they don’t want to admit it. When interviewed, many local people said that they aren't afraid, and the one Franklin resident who did admit to worrying about the date, said that he didn’t want to be named. “Of course, I believe in it,” he said. “You never know what can happen on that day, so I’m always careful.” Many others said that the day only has power if you give it power. “Friday the 13th is just another day in paradise,” said Lea Davenport of Newton. “It is what you make of it.” Others like Peggy Paulson of West Milford look at it as a positive thing.“I have a June 13th birthday,” she said. “When I was a kid I thought it was bad. Now, my birthdays are great and Friday the 13th anytime is an experiment.” Aug. 13, 1899 Alfred Hitchcock is born. Nov. 13, 1970 A huge South Asian storm kills an estimated 300,000 people in Chittagong, Bangladesh, and creates floods that kill as many as 1 million in the Ganges delta. Feb. 13, 1970 Black Sabbath releases its self-titled debut album, now regarded by many as the first true heavy metal album. Oct. 13, 1972 Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashes in the Andes. The story later becomes the subject of the movie “Alive.” June 13, 1986 The Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley, are born. Sept. 13, 1996 Rapper Tupac Shakur is killed. June 13, 2003 Roger Clemens records his 300th win