Friday the 13th: Do You Feel Lucky?

Do you suffer from Paraskevidekatriaphobia?

How about Triskaidekaphobia?

The first is the fear of Friday the 13th, the second is the fear of the number 13.

Of course, today is Friday the 13th. Do you feel lucky? Or, are you staying at home today, hiding beneath the sheets?

Where does all the concern about the number 13 and Friday the 13th come from? There are lots of opinions, but much of the concern could be traced to folklore and even religious thinking.

- Cain slew Abel on a Friday the 13th.

- Eve tempted Adam with the apple on a Friday.

- The great flood began on a Friday.

- Judas, the 13th guest at the last supper, betrayed Jesus leading to his crucifixion on a Friday.

In history, it was on Friday, Oct. 13, 1307 that the Knights Templar were rounded up on the orders of King Philip IV of France and tortured and killed as heretics.

On this date in modern history: In 1961, Berlin was divided as East Germany sealed off the border between the city's eastern and western sectors and began building a wall.

Today's Birthdays: Butch Cassidy, the train and bank robber, was born on Friday, April 13, 1866; Fidel Castro was born on Friday, Aug. 13, 1926.

The rich and power are not exempt from concers about the number 13. President Franklin D. Roosevelt wouldn't travel on the 13th day of a month and would not host 13 guests at a meal.

Have a lucky day!