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I'm not a superstitious person, but I think it's worth pointing out that our first Friday the 13th of 2023 is today! The second one, appropriately, falls in October. 

Here are some fun facts about this allegedly unlucky day:

- The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia (try saying that five times fast!).
- The fear of 13 has its own name too --- triskaidekaphobia.
- It's difficult to find the exact origins of Friday the 13th, but author Charles Panati traces the day's unlucky roots to Norse mythology.
- Each year has an average of 1.72 Friday the 13ths.
- 10% of people in the U.S. are afraid of the number 13. 
- In Italy, Friday the 17th is considered an unlucky day.
- Singer Taylor Swift claims 13 is her lucky number.
- Hotels sometimes "skip" the 13th floor for guests who have a fear of the number.

So, are you being especially cautious today, or are you a Friday the 13th skeptic like me?

Interested to see what everyone thinks!​

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Taylor Evans Ghosal
Evanston IL
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First of all, it's impossible to read your post without singing "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder in my head. In fact, I've just turned it on on my Spotify. 

I'm not a superstitious person... though I sometimes catch myself avoiding cracks in the sidewalk out of habit and years of repeating the childhood rhyme "step on a crack, you'll break your mama's back!" I am, however, a sucker for trivia and I think it's fascinating that 91% of the condo buildings they surveyed did not have a 13th floor. Also, I assumed the history of Friday the 13th was limited to horror films, not to Norse mythology!

Thanks for the interesting tidbits of knowledge!

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-Brianne
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-13-2023 09:00
From: Taylor Evans Ghosal
Subject: Friday the 13th

I'm not a superstitious person, but I think it's worth pointing out that our first Friday the 13th of 2023 is today! The second one, appropriately, falls in October. 

Here are some fun facts about this allegedly unlucky day:

- The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia (try saying that five times fast!).
- The fear of 13 has its own name too --- triskaidekaphobia.
- It's difficult to find the exact origins of Friday the 13th, but author Charles Panati traces the day's unlucky roots to Norse mythology.
- Each year has an average of 1.72 Friday the 13ths.
- 10% of people in the U.S. are afraid of the number 13. 
- In Italy, Friday the 17th is considered an unlucky day.
- Singer Taylor Swift claims 13 is her lucky number.
- Hotels sometimes "skip" the 13th floor for guests who have a fear of the number.

So, are you being especially cautious today, or are you a Friday the 13th skeptic like me?

Interested to see what everyone thinks!​

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Taylor Evans Ghosal
Evanston IL
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