Poll: Why Is 13 the Number Unluckly? Do you Believe It?

Question

What made the number 13 so unluckly if it is?

Also do you believe it?

Answer 1

I'm not usually one for copying and pasting, but...

Thirteen may be considered a "bad" number simply because when a group of 13 objects or people is divided into two, three, four or six equal groups, there is always one leftover, or "unlucky", object or person.

It was suggested by Charles A. Platt writing in 1925 that the reason 13 is considered unlucky is that a person can count from 1-12 with their 8 fingers, two thumbs and 2 feet, but not beyond that, so the number 13 is unknown, hence frightening, hence unlucky. This idea discounts the use of toes or other body parts in counting.

Some Christian traditions have it that at the Last Supper, Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th to sit at the table.

According to another interpretation, the number 13 is unlucky because it is the number of full moons in a contemporary year, but two full moons in a single calendar month only happens about every 2.5 years.

Early nursery rhymes stated there were thirteen months in a year because of the natural moon cycle that was used to count the lunar year. In England, a calendar of thirteen months of 28 days each, plus one extra day, known as "a year and a day" was still in use up to Tudor times. The lunar year was the easiest to count for cultures before scientific methods existed to observe the movement of the earth around the sun, so it was associated with worship of the pagan Great Goddess for thousands of years, which may be another reason for 13 becoming a taboo number. Taboo often is misunderstood when only half of the totem and taboo relationship is recognized. Among religions having totem and taboo characteristics, that which is taboo on a regular basis may become quite sacred on special occasions.

In Tarot decks, the 13th card of the Major Arcana is Death. While Death is rarely interpreted literally, it is possible that this furthered the perception of 13 as an unlucky number.

Another hypothesis about the origin of Friday the 13th as an unlucky day is attributed to this being the day that the Knights Templar were slaughtered in a collaboration between King Philip IV of France and Pope Clement V finishing with the burning at the stake of Jacques De Molay.

The legion with which Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon was the Legio XIII Gemina or the 13th legion.

13 is the 6th prime number. 6 is sometimes considered an unlucky number due to its association with 666.

No, I don't believe that it is unlucky, but I think people may act more guarded around it, on Friday the 13th for example, and this causes its own problems.

Answer 2

Thirteen is regarded as an unlucky number in many cultures. Fear of the number 13 is termed triskaidekaphobia. The thirteenth of a month is likewise ominous, particularly when it falls on a Friday in some English-speaking cultures, Russia and Germany (see Friday the 13th) or a Tuesday in the Greek and Spanish-speaking world.The number 13 also is very unlucky at hotels. In some hotels the 13th floor and the room number 13 are excluded.

I find it hilarous that people can get so freaked about a number, I can remember in high school, when Friday the 13th came around some of the teachers didn't show up and as a school prank, guys would put stuffed black cats everywhere and ladders over the doorways. That was the best prank ever.

Answer 3

No I do not find it unlucky...

In China it is a lucky number...

In science

On the periodic table of elements, aluminum has an atomic number of 13.The atomic number of aluminium

In religion

The number of participants at the Last Supper
Counting both Judas Iscariot and Matthias, there were thirteen apostles

Thirteen was once associated with the Epiphany by Christians, the child Jesus having received the Magi on his thirteenth day of life.

In Judaism, 13 signifies the age at which a boy or girl matures and becomes a bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah.
The number of principles of Jewish faith according to Maimonides

According to the Torah, God has 13 Attributes of Mercy
Unlucky 13


The stall numbers at the Santa Anita Park show that 13 is considered an unlucky number in horse racing.
Thirteen is regarded as an unlucky number in many cultures. Fear of the number 13 is termed triskaidekaphobia. The thirteenth of a month is likewise ominous, particularly when it falls on a Friday in some English-speaking cultures, Russia and Germany (see Friday the 13th) or a Tuesday in the Greek and Spanish-speaking world.The number 13 also is very unlucky at hotels. In some hotels the 13th floor and the room number 13 are excluded


;0)

Answer 4

I don't think it's unlucky...

Unlucky 13 origin

Thirteen is regarded as an unlucky number in many cultures. Fear of the number 13 is termed triskaidekaphobia. The thirteenth of a month is likewise ominous, particularly when it falls on a Friday in some English-speaking cultures, Russia and Germany (see Friday the 13th) or a Tuesday in the Greek and Spanish-speaking world.The number 13 also is very unlucky at hotels. In some hotels the 13th floor and the room number 13 are excluded.


[edit] Suggested explanations
Thirteen may be considered a "bad" number simply because when a group of 13 objects or people is divided into two, three, four or six equal groups, there is always one leftover, or "unlucky", object or person.

It was suggested by Charles A. Platt writing in 1925 that the reason 13 is considered unlucky is that a person can count from 1-12 with their 8 fingers, two thumbs and 2 feet, but not beyond that, so the number 13 is unknown, hence frightening, hence unlucky.[1] This idea discounts the use of toes or other body parts in counting.

Some Christian traditions have it that at the Last Supper, Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th to sit at the table.

According to another interpretation, the number 13 is unlucky because it is the number of full moons in a contemporary year, but two full moons in a single calendar month (mistakenly referred to as a blue moon in a magazine article of the 1940s) only happens about every 2.5 years. [2]

Early nursery rhymes stated there were thirteen months in a year because of the natural moon cycle that was used to count the lunar year. In England, a calendar of thirteen months of 28 days each, plus one extra day, known as "a year and a day" was still in use up to Tudor times. The lunar year was the easiest to count for cultures before scientific methods existed to observe the movement of the earth around the sun, so it was associated with worship of the pagan Great Goddess[citation needed] for thousands of years, which may be another reason for 13 becoming a taboo number. Taboo often is misunderstood when only half of the totem and taboo relationship is recognized. Among religions having totem and taboo characteristics, that which is taboo on a regular basis may become quite sacred on special occasions.

In Tarot decks, the 13th card of the Major Arcana is Death. While Death is rarely interpreted literally, it is possible that this furthered the perception of 13 as an unlucky number.

Another hypothesis about the origin of Friday the 13th as an unlucky day is attributed to this being the day that the Knights Templar were slaughtered in a collaboration between King Philip IV of France and Pope Clement V finishing with the burning at the stake of Jacques De Molay.

The legion with which Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon was the Legio XIII Gemina or the 13th legion.

13 is the 6th prime number. 6 is sometimes considered an unlucky number due to its association with 666.


[edit] Examples
In Scotland, there is no gate 13 in any airport, instead there is a gate 12B.

Some aeroplanes skip a row 13, going straight from 12 to 14.

Some tall buildings have resorted to skipping the "thirteenth floor", either by numbering it "14" or as "12a".

Some streets do not contain a house number 13.

The Code of Hammurabi, a collection of laws created ca. 1760 BC, does not contain a thirteenth law.

On the 13th day of the Persian new year (Norouz), people consider staying at home unlucky, and go outside for a picnic in order to ward off the bad luck.

Most race car drivers consider 13 a very unlucky number, as a car carrying that number has never won the Indianapolis 500 or a NASCAR Nextel Cup race, and almost all Formula 1 teams are no longer given the number 13 when car numbers are given out to teams on basis of points. Usually the team finishing seventh in the previous year's championship will take numbers 14 and 15, instead of 13 and 14. Only once in recent years (1991, Ricky Johnson) has an AMA Motocross rider chosen #13 instead of #14. Some NASCAR tracks refuse to have a pit stall #13.

At the Universal Studios sound stages in California, there is no sound stage numbered 13.

Microsoft plans to skip Office 13 for being "an unlucky number," going directly from Office 12 to Office 14. [1]

The creators of the online game Kingdom of Loathing avoid the number 13 in all of their programming.

The Apollo 13 space shuttle malfunctioned on April 13th, causing the ship to return to Earth.

Answer 5

no because im 13 and i dont wanna have to worry about bad luck because of my age. I hate when people do that. Like once and this is a true story I was trying to download this episode for my ipod and it was on limewire and then it was written episode 13 like a million times and when i tried to download it I got a warning from my virus protection saying that the following program has been designed to damage my computer and the file has been blocked for my own safety. It pissed me off how the 13 was supposed to mean bad luck >_>

Answer 6

There's not enough explaination about why number 13 is really unlucky.But it's not really number 13 alone is unlucky;it becomes unlucky if it falls on friday.I do believed friday the 13 is unlucky because it really happened to me in several times.

Answer 7

Hi,

No i dont believe that. I live 13 flat and im happy!

13 My best number. Dont think about this and you will never have problems. All depend from you and your mind :)

Answer 8

I'm not sure about the origins of the superstition around that number. No, I don't believe in lucky or unlucky numbers.

Answer 9

No i think that the number 13 is lucky infact because so few people think it is it has more luck an other numbers

Answer 10

There are lots of suggestions why. Many believe it relates to Judas Iscariot, the 13th to sit at the table at the Last Supper (and the one who betrayed Jesus).

I don't believe it no. Sometimes I go out of my way to show that I don't :)