How Superstitious Are You

In two days time, people all over the world will be having their unluckiest day of the year. There will be cut fingers, lost passports, cancelled trains, bad hair days, break-ups and stock market losses happening all over the place, and it’s all down to the date.

But why is Friday the 13th such an unlucky day?

In actual fact, it is not certain why the Western world have such a fear of this calendar date, but it certainly has a powerful influence.

There are many theories about why the number 13 may be considered an unlucky number, possibly going back as early as biblical times. Today, many multistory buildings skip the 13th floor and go straight from 12 to 14, and you won’t find a row 13 on a plane – which just shows how many people are affected by this superstition.

There are potential religious reasons for Friday emerging as an unlucky day also, but putting the two together, you are left with a day that leaves people quaking in their boots.

Many terrible events have occured on Friday the 13th, including the Apollo 13 oxygen tank exploding in 1970, forcing the moon landing to be aborted, the birth of the Olson twins in 1986 and the death of rapper Tupac, following his fatal shooting in 1996.

But is there any amount of truth in this unlucky day, or is it all a load of twaddle.

Would you take your driving test on Friday 13th? Find out how superstitious you are in our mini-quiz. Take the test now.