Today is Friday the 13th and as we know there are so many superstitions and myths surrounding this day. I believe many of you do not even know the historical facts behind this day. To some of you, this day is full of bad luck, others see this day as the freakiest day ever. From patch.com, Check City brings you 13 historical facts about Friday the 13th.
- On Oct. 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France raided the homes of the Knights Templar, who were warrior monks during the Crusades, imprisoning several thousand men on charges of illegal activities. None of these charges were proven, but hundreds suffered excruciating torture intended to force confessions, and more than a hundred died.
- Jacques de Molay, the last known Grand Master of the Knights Templar was burned to death on a slow fire outside Notre Dame on Friday, March 13, 1314.
- Butch Cassidy, notorious American train and bank robber, was born on Friday, April 13, 1866.
- Al Capone was sentenced to prison on a Friday the 13th.
- The Butler Act, a Tennessee law prohibiting schools from teaching evolution, passed on Friday, March 13, 1925.
- Fidel Castro, the much disliked Prime Minister then President of Cuba, was born Friday, Aug. 13, 1926.
- On July 13, 1951 The Great Flood killed 24 people, destroyed more than 2 million acres of land in Kansas and caused $760 million in damage.
- A huge South Asian storm killed an estimated 300,000 people in Chittagong, Bangladesh, and created floods that killed as many as 1 million in the Ganges delta on Nov. 13, 1970.
- A Uruguayan rugby team’s plane crashed in the Andes mountain range on Friday, 13 October, 1972.
- Hubert Humphrey, the 38th vice president of the United States, died on Friday Jan. 13, 1978.
- An F4 tornado ripped through Edmonton, Alberta, killing 27 people and injuring at least 300 on July 13 1987.
- The “Friday the 13th virus” infected hundreds of IBM computers across Great Britain on Friday, Jan. 13, 1989. This is one of the most famous early examples of a computer virus making headlines.
- Tupac Shakur was shot and killed in Las Vegas on Friday, Sept. 13, 1996
There are so many activities you can do tonight. Watch a freaky movie, play games like murder in the dark, etc. Some of these activities will involve money. If you need help with that visit Check City online or a Check City Location.
Have a Freaky Friday!
