Why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky?
Thirteen and Fridays were each thought unlucky for centuries, but the combined superstition is surprisingly modern, boosted by a 1907 bestselling novel.
Quick Answer
The number 13 and Fridays each have long histories as unlucky, but Friday the 13th as a special day of bad luck only took shape in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A big boost came from Thomas W. Lawson’s 1907 novel “Friday, the Thirteenth,” about a stockbroker who exploits the superstition to cause chaos on Wall Street; it reportedly sold about 28,000 copies in its first week. A popular story traces the day to the arrest of the Knights Templar on Friday, October 13, 1307, but historians say that link was made much later. Is the day actually riskier? A 2008 Dutch insurance study found slightly fewer traffic accidents reported on Fridays the 13th than on other Fridays. Every year has at least one Friday the 13th and at most three; 2026 has three, the last on November 13.
By the Numbers
Key Facts
- Superstition’s age
- Mostly modern, from the 1800s and early 1900s
- Bestseller boost
- Thomas W. Lawson’s 1907 novel “Friday, the Thirteenth”
- Knights Templar link
- Arrested on Friday, Oct. 13, 1307, but that’s not the origin
- Next one
- November 13, 2026
Timeline
- 1307
Officers of King Philip IV of France arrest Knights Templar on Friday, October 13, a link to the superstition made only much later.
- 1800s
The idea of Friday the 13th as a doubly unlucky date begins to take hold.
- 1907
Thomas W. Lawson’s novel “Friday, the Thirteenth” becomes a bestseller.
- 2008
A Dutch insurance study finds fewer accidents on Fridays the 13th.
- Nov 13, 2026
The year’s third Friday the 13th.
Two old fears, one new date
Thirteen had a reputation as an unlucky number, and Friday as an unlucky day, long before anyone put them together. The idea of Friday the 13th as a doubly cursed date emerged in the 19th century.
A novel makes it famous
In 1907, Thomas W. Lawson published “Friday, the Thirteenth,” about a stockbroker who plays on the superstition to cause chaos on Wall Street. It was a hit, and the date’s reputation grew with it.
Is it actually unlucky?
Not by the numbers. A 2008 analysis by the Dutch Centre for Insurance Statistics found an average of about 7,500 traffic accidents reported on Fridays the 13th, compared with about 7,800 on other Fridays.
Myth vs. Fact
MythFriday the 13th is an ancient curse.
FactThe combined superstition is mostly modern, popularized in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
MythThe superstition began with the Knights Templar.
FactThe Templars were arrested on Friday, October 13, 1307, but historians say the link to the superstition was made much later.
The Bottom Line
Friday the 13th’s bad reputation is younger than it seems, shaped largely in the 1800s and boosted by a 1907 bestseller. The data doesn’t back it up: Dutch insurers saw slightly fewer accidents on those days.
