My Alzheimer's Journey

Part 86 - Friday the 13th!!!!

I try really hard to learn something new every day. Remembering the new thing is becoming more and more difficult, though.

Today I learned that my understanding of the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition is not exactly correct. I always thought Western culture considered Friday the 13th unlucky, just like walking under a ladder, crossing paths with a black cat or breaking a mirror, because number 12 was considered complete (there are 12 days of Christmas, 12 months and zodiac signs, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 gods of Olympus, etc.). Since 13 followed a complete, even special, number, then it had to be bad, evil, and unlucky.

I learned today that there is also a Christian origin to the belief that Friday the 13th is unlucky. The seating arrangement at the Last Supper is believed to have given rise to a longstanding Christian superstition that having 13 guests at a table was a bad omen - specifically, that it was courting death. According to biblical tradition, 13 guests attended the Last Supper, held on Maundy Thursday, including Jesus and his 12 apostles (one of whom, Judas, betrayed him). The next day, of course, was Good Friday, the day of Jesus’ crucifixion.

Regardless of the origin, a lot of pop culture has been inspired by the Friday the 13th superstition. Most notably, is the Friday the 13th movie. Or, movies, since there are 12 movies in the Friday the 13th franchise. Why did they not produce a 13th movie?

Taking a look back, a number of traumatic events occurred on Friday the 13th.

• Germany bombed Buckingham Palace (September 13, 1940)

• the murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens, New York (March 13, 1964)

• a cyclone killed more than 300,000 people in Bangladesh (November 13, 1970)

• a Chilean Air Force plane disappeared in the Andes (October 13, 1972)

• the death of rapper Tupac Shakur (September 13, 1996)

• the crash of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the coast of Italy, which killed 30 people (January 13, 2012).

Let’s balance the tragic with a bit of good:

• President Lyndon B. Johnson signed an executive order preventing gender discrimination in the United States government (October 13, 1967)

• The tiny Mediterranean country of Malta became a republic (December 13, 1974)

• Evelyn “Pinky” Kilgare-Brier became the first woman to receive an airplane instructor's license (October 13, 1939)

• For the Swiftie fans, Taylor Swift was born on December 13, 1989 — her birthday landed on Friday the 13th last year — and she has repeatedly said that 13 is her favorite number. She even used to perform with “13” drawn on her hand.

  As part of her 13 agenda, her blockbuster concert film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour“ premiered in theaters on Friday, October 13, 2023.

I will leave you to enjoy your weekend with the word of the day - paraskevidekatriaphobia, This is the fear of Friday the 13th. This word should not be confused with triskaidekaphobia, the fear of the number 13.

Linda and I are celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary today. I am so happy we are together - especially, during this very difficult time.

Thank you for your continued support. I will be back on Monday talking about the horrible disease known as Alzheimer’s.