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Discover the Magic: Top 10 Unbelievable Fun Facts About the Number 13 You Never Knew!

illustration of the-number-13
Dive into the fascinating world of numerology as we unveil the quirkiest and most intriguing fun facts about the enigmatic and often misunderstood number 13.

1. Three Friday the 13ths a Year

Hold on to your four-leaf clovers and lucky rabbits' feet, folks, because the fickle finger of fate can give us not one, but up to three Friday the 13ths a year: Turns out, a calendar year can have as many as three instances of this notoriously unlucky date, all thanks to the quirks of the Gregorian calendar and the prerequisite that a month begins on a Sunday to produce such jinxed Fridays.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

2. Lucky 13 in France and Italy

Forget superstitions and creepy horror movies where the 13th day is full of bad omens – in some parts of the world, 13 puts on a beret, polishes its fine Italian shoe, and takes on a role as a delightful luck magnet: Before the First World War, 13 was seen as a lucky number in France and was often featured on postcards and charms. To this day, Italy holds 13 dear in most cases, and Cantonese-speaking areas like Hong Kong and Macau consider it lucky due to its similar pronunciation to the words meaning "sure to live."
Source => en.wikipedia.org

3. Triskaidekaphobia's Financial Impact

When triskaidekaphobia seizes the masses, it causes humanity to nope right out of Friday the 13th, M marks the spot instead of the dreaded 13th floor, and businesses tremble before the twice-shy triskaidekaphobes: The fear of the number 13 results in an estimated $800 to $900 million loss in revenue on Friday the 13th each year, as people avoid flying and engaging in business activities, while architects and real estate professionals deploy creative tactics like using the letter "M" to denote the 13th floor or turning it into a special area such as a ballroom or swimming pool.
Source => boompay.app

4. Baker's Dozen Solitaire

When bakers have a full house, they don't call Kenny Rogers, they shuffle up their solitaire decks: In Baker's Dozen solitaire, the cards are arranged into 4 rows of 13 columns, with a King hiding beneath all other cards in the column like a secret ingredient whenever it is dealt.
Source => solitairewhizz.com

Sacred Maya Number 13

5. Sacred Maya Number 13

Forget any apocalyptic Maya predictions you've heard and bust open that 13th locker, because the ancient Maya society would've loved a baker's dozen: The number 13 was actually considered sacred and powerful in their culture, with the Maya Long Count calendar featuring 13 baktuns, debunking any 2012-end-of-the-world speculations and instead celebrating the beginning of a new cycle.
Source => maya.nmai.si.edu

6. Apollo 13's Tempting Fate

If NASA's Apollo 13 were a baker, it surely would have won the "Baker's Dozen Award" for its part-time hobby in tempting superstitions: Launched on April 11, 1970, at precisely 19:13:00 UTC, the mission also clocked in a total duration of 5 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes, and 41 seconds, making 13 a persistent figure in this cosmic adventure.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

7. Prime and Proud Number 13

Unlucky for some, but absolutely prime for mathematicians: the number 13, often unfairly shunned due to its notorious relation to bad luck, is proudly the only odd number between 11 and 17 that is a prime number, paired as twin primes with 11 and sexy primes with 7 and 19. Let's not forget its dazzling role as the exponent in the Mersenne prime 2^13-1, which equals 8,191, securing its position as the fifth Mersenne prime.
Source => prime-numbers.fandom.com

8. Revolutionary Monetary 13

Who needs a baker's dozen when you've got a Revolutionary one? Brace yourselves for a monetary blast from the past: In 1776, the Continental Congress authorized $2 denominations of paper currency featuring designs inspired by the thirteen colonies who fought and defeated Great Britain in the American Revolution—nine days before the official Declaration of Independence. Talk about making cents out of history!
Source => uscurrency.gov

9. Eerily Common Friday the 13ths

Feeling lucky? Get ready to embrace the eerie charm of Triskaidekaphobia, also known as the fear of the number 13: Friday the 13th is actually more common than you think, gracing us 688 times in the past 400 years and often popping up twice a year, with the maximum gap between two Friday the 13ths being a mildly spooky 14 months!
Source => freshered.com

Unfazed Athletes & Number 13

10. Unfazed Athletes & Number 13

In case you thought athletes needed to pass on the triskaidekaphobia torch and avoid wearing the cursed 13 like a marathon runner dodging potholes: the Muller men, Gerd and Thomas, confidently sported the supposedly unlucky digit on their jerseys during Germany's World Cup wins, with the number appearing in every World Cup team since squad numbers came into play in 1954.
Source => vice.com

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