Very superstitious? 13 freaky facts about Friday the 13th

Today is Friday the 13th, a day viewed as the unluckiest in the whole year. And to make matters worse, for the first time in over a decade the day of dread will also be cursed with a full moon. 

So to make you superstitious folk feel better we've come up with 13 freaky facts to keep your mind off the ever-looming accidents, mishaps, break-ups and breakdowns that the day will surely bring. 

1. Fear of Friday the 13th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia. Just like some people are afraid of spiders and the dark, others suffer from a deep-rooted fear of this day surrounded in superstition.

Other phobias related to the date include the fear of the number 13, triskaidekaphobia. Napoleon and President Herbert Hoover were said to be sufferers.

2. More than 60million people worldwide claim to be affected by a fear of Friday 13th. Some of them won’t go to work, drive cars or get out of bed on this day.

3. According to the British Medical Journal there is a significant increase in traffic-related accidents when the date is Friday 13th. 

4. And research in Finland has shown that women are more likely to die in traffic accidents on Friday the 13th than on other Fridays.

5. Every year has at least one and at most three Friday the 13ths. 

6. The longest period that can occur without a Friday the 13th is 14 months.

7. The first reference to an unlucky Friday the 13th came in an 1869 biography of the composer Rossini who died on Friday November 13, 1868.

8. But it is believed to have come from biblical origins. According to a report from LiveScience that claims the myth can be traced back to biblical times. The association is believed to have stemmed from the idea that the 13th guest at the Last Supper was the one who betrayed Jesus prior to his death, which occurred on a Friday.

9. The independent horror flick Friday the 13th was released in May 1980 and despite only having a budget of $550,000 it grossed $39.7million at the box office in the United States - pretty lucky, really.

10. The Uruguayan rugby team’s plane crashed in the Andes mountain range on Friday, October 13, 1972.

11. Many hospitals have no room 13, while airports don't have a Gate 13. Hotels and skyscrapers also tend to dismiss the unlucky floor by skipping straight from 12 to 14. 

12. Famous people born on Friday the 13th include Margaret Thatcher (October 13, 1923) and Fidel Castro (August 13, 1926)

13. Today is not only Friday the 13th but it is also a full moon. For the first time in over a decade two of the great Western superstitions have arrived together bringing a potential double dose of dire luck.