According to Wikipedia: "The superstition surrounding this day may have arisen in the Middle Ages, "originating from the story of Jesus' last supper and crucifixion" in which there were 13 individuals present in the Upper Room on the 13th of Nisan Maundy Thursday, the night before his death on Good Friday.(1)
The fear of the number 13 has been given a scientific name: "triskaidekaphobia"; and on analogy to this the fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia, from the Greek words Paraskeví (Παρασκευή, meaning "Friday"), and dekatreís (δεκατρείς, meaning "thirteen").(2)
History records that Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, had a mild case of triskaidekaphobia [and] disliked the number thirteen. Journalist and Roosevelt biographer John Gunther wrote, “Like most people with good luck, FDR was moderately—not excessively—superstitious. He hated Friday the thirteenth, he would never start an important trip on a Friday if he could help it, and he disliked sitting down with thirteen at dinner.” (3)
Today's Spooky Quotes
"Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear." ~Edgar Allan Poe
"For the dead travel fast." ~Bram Stoker, Dracula
"A cold hand fell on Louis’s shoulder. Rachel’s voice was grating, full of dirt. 'Darling' it said." ~Stephen King, Pet Semetary
"We're all mad here." ~Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
"Oh, we have 12 vacancies. 12 cabins, 12 vacancies." ~Norman Bates, Psycho
