Hard-hats at the ready – it's Friday the 13th. For the third time this year!
According to how the calendar falls there will be two Friday the 13th's next year (in September and December), one in 2014 and three in 2015. After that there won't be another three until 2026. Make of that what you will.
Fear of this date is known as friggatriskaidekaphobia (named after "Frigg", the Norse goddess whom Friday is named after and "triskaidekaphobia" meaning the fear of "13".)
Superstition says it’s the unluckiest day of the year and is generally regarded as an unsuitable day to undertake journeys or begin new projects.
Among the tragedies to befall this day were the bombing of Buckingham Palace on September 13, 1940, as part of Hitler's strategic "Blitz" bombing campaign.
November 13 1970 (also a Friday) saw a massive storm kill around 300,000 people in Bangladesh, with subsequent floods killing as many as a million in the Ganges Delta.
What's more, some people say Jesus Christ was crucified on Friday the 13th.
Some websites list the birth of the Olsen twins on this date as similarly sinister....
Have you ever had an unlucky event befall you on this date? Tell us about it in comments below.
Take a look below at 13 examples of reactions to the belief that 13 is an unlucky number:
