First Friday the 13th of 2021 🙀

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Episode 121 Description

Get ready for the first and only Friday the 13th of 2021. 👻 Find out why Friday the 13th got its reputation for being a bad luck day. ⛈️ Correspondent Ryan Nerz, a big fan of the number 13, shares the history. 🤞 Did you know that some of the biggest athletes are superstitious? Listen in as we share a few of their good luck charms. 💫 From the headlines: FDA news and visiting Komodo dragons. 🦎 And test your luck in today’s Trivia on the Ten! 🧐

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TRANSCRIPT:

Various Voices  0:00  

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 

Bethany Van Delft  0:06  

I'm Bethany Van Delft. And this is The Ten News where we get the lowdown on what's up in the world. Tell me, are you feeling lucky? Tomorrow is Friday the 13th. It's the first one of 2021. So, to celebrate today, we'll explore all kinds of superstitions and what they mean, and knock on wood, tomorrow will be pretty normal. Let's dive in.

Bethany Van Delft  0:41  

Do you still have seven more years of bad luck after breaking that mirror? Watch out if you want to open that umbrella indoors. Are black cats really going to mess up your day? These and other beliefs like it are called superstitions. We human beings have been believing in these, good luck, bad luck scenarios for 1,000’s of years. But, it's not just walking under a ladder or throwing salt over your shoulder that qualifies. Have you ever worn a good luck charm, or maybe thrown on your lucky t-shirt before taking a test? I guess so. These are all forms of superstition. And sometimes that can be a good thing. Studies have shown that if you feel lucky, it can actually help you get the win. Nice. Today, about one in four people in the United States say they are superstitious. Some of the most famous superstitious people are sports stars. Golf superstar Tiger Woods, wears a red t-shirt in the final round of every tournament he's played in. Basketball legend Michael Jordan wears his lucky shorts underneath his uniform. Tennis champion Serena Williams always ties her shoes the exact same way before a match. And Bjorn Borg, another tennis star, even grew himself a lucky beard. I like your face. Taking notes! Superstitions have been around a long time. But, why did Friday the 13th become such a day to fear? Our correspondent Ryan Nerz bravely joins us to break it down.

Ryan Nerz  2:30  

So I have bad news and I have good news. The bad news is we're about to experience the single most dreaded day of the year, a day that so many people fear, it actually results in $800 million in financial losses annually. Seriously, that's happening. But hey, here's the good news. I'm going to teach you a new word, Paraskevidekatriaphobia. What? Okay, say it with me now. A little faster this time, Paraskevidekatriaphobia. Ah-ha! That's right, you've got it. And though I'm sure you already know what Paraskevidekatriaphobia means, just in case, it is the fear of Friday. That's right, like walking under a ladder or seeing a black cat, Friday the 13th is infamous for bringing bad luck. So since it's about to be the first and only Friday the 13th of 2021, and because I, myself, am a Triskaidekaphile, meaning a lover of the number 13. It is with great honor that I present to you the history of Friday the 13th. The legendary fear of this day goes back centuries. Historians have noted that the code of Hammurabi, written around 1754 BC, omitted the 13th law from its list of legal codes in ancient Norse mythology. Evil was supposedly introduced to the world by the 13th guest at a dinner party in Valhalla. That would be the God of Mischief, and the star of his own Disney plus show, Loki. Surprise!

Ryan Nerz  4:19

But, the real popularization of Friday the 13th as the official day of dread almost definitely starts with Christianity. In the Bible at the Last Supper, there were 13 attendees, Jesus Christ, and His 12 disciples, but it was the 13th and final guest to arrive, Judas Iscariot, who would betray Jesus. This gave rise to the long-standing Christian superstition that 13 guests at a table means at best bad luck, and at worst, an omen of death. But wait a minute. The last supper happened on a Thursday. Right? It's true. And the origins of fearing Friday the 13th, in particular, are less understood. But it could be the exact same source because, well, Christianity does not love Friday. It's the day of the week that Jesus was crucified, that Eve gave Adam the forbidden fruit, and that Cain killed his brother, Abel. Holy moly. Since the Last Supper, there have been all kinds of historical bad luck on Friday the 13th. On Friday, October 13 in 1307, French authorities arrested hundreds of the Knights Templar, a powerful religious and military order. In 1940, during World War II, the Germans bombed London's Buckingham Palace. In 1970, a cyclone in Bangladesh killed 130,000 people, and in 1996, the rapper Tupac Shakur was murdered. All on Friday the 13th. Oh, geez. Of course, one could and I would make the case that you can dig up plenty of historical bad news on Thursday the 16th or any other date. Well, in the late 19th century, a fellow 13 lover named Captain William Fowler tried to remove the day's stigma. What does that mean? He started the 13 Club, which frankly went a bit overboard and its 13-ness. The group met on the 13th day of the month and in room 13 of the Knickerbocker Cottage in New York City. They sat 13 at a table and ate a 13-course dinner. Are you kidding me? And it almost worked. The 13 Club was so prestigious that four former US presidents became members, Chester Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, and Theodore Roosevelt. Whoa. But the twin forces of superstition and pop culture won out in the end. In 1980, a slasher film starring a hockey mask-wearing killer named, Jason, became a surprise international hit. Houston we have a problem. In 1995, the movie Apollo 13 told the story of how on April 13th 1970, one of the oxygen tanks on the space mission Apollo 13 exploded. And thanks to an endless stream of pop-cultural references like these from Freaky Friday to the Da Vinci Code, many hotels and apartment buildings actually called the 13th floor something else like 14 or 12a. I did not know that. So, if you're one of the many 1,000's who believes in this widespread fear, well, you better get ready. Because Friday the 13th is right around the corner, and it won't be the last. But, if you're on the fence here, maybe keep an open mind. Because as someone born on the 13th, I think negative thoughts can actually create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Or in the words of someone much smarter than me, superstition brings bad luck. 

Bethany Van Delft  8:08  

Thanks, Ryan. Now while I am not a superstitious person. Okay, maybe I am. Still, I'm glad that we're The Ten News. Enough of 13 News. Nothing against you 13. Now let's see what else is up in the world.

Bethany Van Delft 8:32

Good news on the vaccine front. The Food and Drug Administration hopes to officially approve Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine by early September. The vaccine was originally made available under an emergency authorization and needs this final step to be fully approved. The hope is that this step will motivate more Americans to get vaccinated who are holding out for this official stamp of safety. Is there a real Jurassic Park in the works? At the Komodo National Park in Indonesia, construction is said to be moving ahead despite concerns from UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. The organization is concerned about the environmental impacts of the project and the safety of the Komodo dragons that call the spot home. Komodo dragons that can grow up to 10 feet long and tourists? Not sure this is a great idea. Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they just started to think they should. And, while we're on the topic of conservation, Chapman's Pygmy Chameleon, which was thought to be extinct, has been found in the rain forests of Malawi in South-Eastern Africa. Chapman's Pygmy Chameleon is tiny, just over 2 inches long. It's usually brown but can change its color to blue and green. We're crossing our fingers that is not too late to save this fascinating critter. Get it, crossing our fingers? Yes, up next, it's time for... 

Various Voices  10:05  

What, what, what's the big idea?

Bethany Van Delft  10:08  

Trivia on The Ten. The lucky number 7 has made an appearance this year in Major League Baseball. There have been 7 no-hitters so far in 2021. That's 7 times that pitchers have completed a game without the other team getting a hit. What is a big superstition around a no-hitter? Is it a) the rest of the players on the field turn their baseball hats around, b) the players bow whenever the pitcher comes back into the dugout, or c) no one speaks to the pitcher while it's happening.

Bethany Van Delft  10:51

Did you guess it? The answer is c) A number of baseball players believe that if you talk to the pitcher while a no-hitter is happening, or say the word no-hitter to another player. The magic will be broken and the other team will get a hit. Even broadcasters get caught in the superstition and come up with lots of ways to talk around what is happening by referring to it being a special moment, or a moment to watch. Anything to avoid using the term no-hitter and risk being blamed for breaking the streak. Stee-rike. 

Bethany Van Delft  11:31

Time's up. But before we go, here's a quick note for the grownups. Thanks for listening to The Ten News. Look out for new episodes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and extras on Saturdays. You can go deeper into today's stories by visiting thetennews.com. The Ten News is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts and is distributed by iHeartRadio. The Ten News creative team is wearing their lucky socks and includes Kate Hill, Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, Andrew Hall, and Natalie Alonzo. Ryan Nerz contributed to this episode. Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle and our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. I'm Bethany Van Delft. Thanks for listening to The Ten News. Oooh. Is that a lucky penny I see on the floor? Gotta go. Bye.