Five Times Friday The 13th Was Lucky For Someone

Freaky Friday strikes terror into the superstitious hearts of many around the world, helped along by this:

The demonic Jason apart, there's actually a name for the fear of Friday the 13th  - paraskavedekatriaphobia. Those who suffer from this very real, not-made-up-at-all phobia experience palpitations, breathlessness and anxiety.

A series of tragedies validate Friday the 13th's reputation for horror - among them the death of rapper Tupac Shakur (September 13, 1996) and the sinking of cruise ship Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy (January 13, 2012). However, here are five instances of good fortune on this much maligned day.

1.The Hollywood sign was unveiled on July 13, 1923. It originally read Hollywoodland. It's still there and so is Hollywood, the industry, itself and making more money each year than most countries do so that's luck of a special sort.

2. French-Jewish artillery Captain Alfred Dreyfus, wrongly convicted of espionage, was exonerated and resumed military duty on October 13, 1906.

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3. Evelyn Pinckert Kilgore, the first female flight instructor, received her licence on October 13, 1939 and went on to train World War II pilots.

4. Steve Buscemi was born on December 13, 1957 and grew up to star in Boardwalk Empire, and win two Screen Actors Guild awards and a Golden Globe.

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5. Black Sabbath released their first self-titled album on February 13, 1970 and quickly gathered a legion of heavy metal devotees.

Finally, here's something that will brighten today's Friday the 13th - tonight, look up at the rare and lovely 'strawberry full moon,' named for the strawberry harvesting season it coincides with. Or, if fright night is your thing, savour the freakiness of the day - the next Friday the 13th isn't till 2049.

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