22 Things You Didn’t Know About Friday The 13th

Published November 13, 2015
Updated November 6, 2019

The clinical term for a phobia of Friday the 13th is paraskevidekatriaphobia and more interesting facts about Friday the 13th.

Bad luck on Friday the 13th might just be a superstition, but it’s so prevalent across so many cultures that the date can actually influence people’s behavior. One organization that has researched the phenomenon says that the United States loses up to $900 million in business because people don’t go about their business as usual: they are less likely to travel, receive healthcare, or even plan weddings.

Where does this fear come from? Here are some possible explanations — and a few Friday the 13th facts you might not know:


If you enjoyed these Friday the 13th facts, check out our other posts on interesting facts and creepy Halloween costumes from the early 20th century.

author
Abby Norman
author
Abby Norman is a writer based in New England . Her work has been featured on The Rumpus, The Independent, Bustle, Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and Quartz.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
Based in Brooklyn, New York, John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of expertise include modern American history and the ancient Near East. In an editing career spanning 17 years, he previously served as managing editor of Elmore Magazine in New York City for seven years.
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Norman, Abby. "22 Things You Didn’t Know About Friday The 13th." AllThatsInteresting.com, November 13, 2015, https://allthatsinteresting.com/friday-the-13th-facts. Accessed August 22, 2025.