It’s Friday the 13th and for the superstitious among us that’s probably a reason to stay home. This day has long been considered an unlucky day by many people. There’s even a specific phobia associated with this ominous date (the easy-to-pronounce paraskavedekatriaphobia).

Over the years, many disturbing events have taken place on Friday the 13th. Is it a coincidence, or is something more sinister going on? Spoiler alert: It’s a coincidence, but it’s still interesting.

Templars

If you were a member of the Knights Templar in medieval France, you had good reason to worry about Friday the 13th. On that day in 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the arrest of the Knights Templar, an influential and extremely wealthy religious military order of the time.

Philip, also known as Philip the Fair (for his good looks, if not his character), wanted to eliminate the order for financial reasons. The French crown had been in debt to the Templars for some time, having borrowed money to fight wars and cover other royal expenses. Using accusations of heresy and devil worship, Philip was able to justify the arrest of over 600 Templars, who were tortured and eventually executed.

Sam Patch’s Last Jump

On Friday, November 13, 1829, spectators gathered at Genesee Falls, New York, to watch America’s first daredevil, Sam Patch, perform another death-defying stunt. For more than two years, Patch had amazed audiences by leaping from incredible heights without incident. In September 1827, he had successfully jumped over Passaic Falls in Paterson, and he continued jumping from other waterfalls until he astonished spectators at Niagara Falls in October 1829. His next feat, however, would be his last.

According to eyewitnesses, Patch’s jump from the Upper Falls of Genesee Falls did not look good. His diving position was wrong, and instead of piercing the water, he hit it with an audible thud. His body did not return to the surface, causing panic among the crowd. His frozen remains were eventually found four months later at the mouth of the Genesee River.

Black Friday forest fires

After several years of drought, high temperatures and strong winds led to bushfires that spread across Victoria, Australia, on Friday 13 January 1939. The Black Friday Bushfires, as they are now known, were part of a devastating bushfire season that took place in 1938 and into the new year. About 75 percent of the state was affected by the fires, which burned almost 2 million hectares (4.9 million acres) of land. By the end of January, 71 people had died, about 1,300 buildings had been destroyed and a total of 700 homes had been swept away.

The plane crash in the Andes

The story of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 is one of the most harrowing tales associated with Friday the 13th. In October 1972, the flight was carrying 45 passengers, including a rugby team, when it struck a ridge and crashed in the Andes Mountains. Despite efforts to find survivors, the harsh environment and bad weather forced the emergency response to be canceled after eight days. With little food and fewer options, the survivors resorted to cannibalism to stay alive.

After being stranded in freezing conditions for 72 days, 16 survivors were rescued after a gruelling 10-day trek by two of the group who had gone looking for help.

Financial mini crash

On Friday, October 13, 1989, the stock market experienced a mini-crash when the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by almost 7 percent. The crash led to a temporary financial panic, giving the date the name “Black Friday.”

Costa Concordia disaster

On Friday, January 13, 2012, the seven-year-old cruise ship Costa Concordia crashed and became stuck in shallow water in the Tyrrhenian Sea, near Isola del Giglio. The disaster, which was entirely preventable, is being blamed on Captain Francesco Schettino and his crew for irresponsible behavior after the ship sailed too close to shore, at night and at high speed.

Ultimately, more than 4,000 people had to be rescued from the capsized ship, with 32 people losing their lives.

Friday the 13th, what’s all the fuss about?

The superstition surrounding Friday the 13th is an old one. Some believe it was caused by the bloody fate of the Knights Templar, but it is probably older than that. In fact, the superstition is probably the result of various cultural beliefs, rather than a specific historical event. For example, Christianity associates the number 13 with suspicion after Judas Iscariot, the 13th guest at the Last Supper, betrayed Christ.

In Norse mythology, the trickster Loki was the 13th guest at the banquet of the gods. It is believed that this feast caused chaos because he arranged the death of Balder.

At the same time, the Bible itself is full of all sorts of unfortunate events that happened on Friday (especially Good Friday, when Christ was supposedly crucified). Friday was generally considered an unlucky day.

These cultural factors likely influenced how we think about Friday the 13th, but our brains likely did the rest: confirmation bias, the tendency to interpret information that matches our preconceptions. In this context, our minds evolved to make connections between possible causes and their consequences. It’s helped us survive as a species, but sometimes it can go too far, making connections and assigning meaning to random, unrelated events.

If you live in a culture where Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day, you may be more sensitive to unusual or negative events that occur on this date, even though bad things happen on other days too.