Friday the 13th.... lets compare the good and bad!

Since there can only be a max of 3 Friday the 13th's occurring in 1 year and 2009 is one of those years, and today IS one of those 3 days, I decided I'd post about Friday the 13th...

Apparently there is a name for people who fear Friday the 13th ... Paraskevidekatriaphobia. As you can see, the word is as ridiculous as the phobia itself! (say it 5 times fast... i dare you) - Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13..... why not just Thirteenaphobia or "I'm a wuss"

Here are some interesting things I have learned about Friday the 13th... enjoy!

• "fear of the #13 costs American a billion dollars per year in absenteeism, train and plane cancellations, and reduced commerce on the 13th of the month."-Smithsonian Magazine...
• The Olsen twins are born on Friday, June 13, 1986. (some may think this is bad... others, good I guess...
• Superstitious diners in Paris can hire a quatorzieme, or
  professional 14th guest.
• Roger Clemens recorded his 4,000th strikeout and earned his 300th win on Friday, June 13, 2003.
• Many buildings don't have a 13th floor. Many hospitals don't have a room 13
• Butch Cassidy, notorious American train and bank robber, was born
  on Friday, April 13, 1866.
• 
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus was born on a Friday the 13th.... now THAT is a positive.
• In 1939, a small town in Indiana forced all black cats to wear bells on Friday, 10/13...nothing bad happened so the people in the town thought the bells prevented the cats from doing any harm- this practice continued for 3 years.
• On any Friday the 13th, if a redhead walks under a ladder, picks up a black cat and sprinkles salt on it, he or she will be hanged at exactly 13:13 (1:13 on a 12h clock)

(I made the last one up)

I'm sure there are tons more interesting good and bad things that have happened to occur on Friday the 13th's .... The next Friday the 13th will be in November....So for all you Paraskevidekatriaphobics out there, you have exactly 8 months to relax...

PS, For those of you superstitious people out there with a fear of black cats, the cat in the photo is my cat Mack. He is not scary and he will not cast any weird spells on you. He's incapable. He's just a cat.