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Friday 13th

It may just seem like another Friday to you, but beware, because today is Friday the 13th, the infamous, unlucky day that has generated superstition for centuries. Before you decide whether to buy into the Friday the 13th hoopla or dismiss it as shenanigans, check out some of the most bizarre stories and superstitions surrounding the holiday and the fear of the number.

1. The fall of the Aztec Empire (August 13, 1521)

An engraving by W. Holl in the Gallery Of Portraits With Memoirs encyclopedia shows conquistador Hernan Cortes, who lived from 1485 to 1547. (Georgios Kollidas/Shutterstock)

After a long stampede across the Aztec Empire, conquistador Hernan Cortes finally snatched a victory in the name of the Spanish crown on Friday the 13th by dominating the city of Tenochtitlan.

2. Thirteen letters are devilish

Are there 13 letters in your name? You might want to lay low on Friday the 13th. Some believe that means you have the devil's luck, citing serial killers Charles Manson and Jack the Ripper as examples.

3. Drive carefully today! Study says it's dangerous

One of the few groups ever brave enough to study Friday the 13th looked at hospital rates related to car accidents on that day versus one week earlier. The findings, published in the British Medical Journal in 1993, concluded that the likelihood of winding up in the hospital from a wreck went up by 52 percent on the unlucky day. Their advice? "Staying at home is recommended."

4. Uganda rugby team's plane crashes (October 13, 1972)

There were 45 people aboard a plane, including a Catholic Uruguayan rugby team, that crashed in a remote part of the Argentinian Andes on a Friday the 13th in 1972. Many of the passengers didn't survive the crash or the harsh conditions in the 10 days it took to find help. Miraculously, some did -- 14, to be exact.

5. A 13-person dinner party results in death

(Shutterstock)

It's said that if 13 people share a meal at a table together, one of the diners will die within a year. Nathaniel Lachenmeyer, who wrote a book about the number 13, said this superstition originated from the Last Supper between Jesus and his 12 disciples shortly before his death.

6. The best day for asteroid-viewing parties?

NASA isn't worried about an asteroid that's expected to come very close to Earth on Friday, April 13, 2029. Originally astronomers thought it might hit Earth, but an update was made to say it's only expected to come within 20,000 miles of Earth, providing a spectacular view for millions of people. Whew, what a relief.

7. Teen struck by lightning (August 13, 2010)

There were a lot of eerie things going on when a male teenager was struck by lightning at the Lowestoft Seafront Air Festival in England. Not only did he get hit by the bolt on Friday the 13th, but the boy was also 13 years old and was struck at 13:13 military time, according to BBC.

8. Avoid funeral processions today, or you could be next

There are plenty of things you should avoid on the holiday, according to superstitions, but this is perhaps the most ominous. If a funeral procession passes you on Friday the 13th, it's said, your death will be next.

A file photo shows a funeral procession. (Cheryl Casey/Shutterstock)

9. Another thing to avoid: the barbershop

Superstition dictates that this is the worst day of the year to get a hair cut, and doing so will result in some bad luck.

10. Tuesday the 13th can be bad luck, too

It's not just Friday the 13th that puts superstitious people on edge. In some Spanish-speaking countries, the day of bad luck is actually Tuesday, according to ABC in Spain.

11. Thailand's Royal Plaza Hotel collapses (August 13, 1993)

This hotel located in Nakhon Ratchasima had three additional layers built on top of it, which weakened the ground support structure, according to the New York Times. After being unable to sustain the weight, the hotel finally collapsed on Friday the 13th in 1993, killing 137 people and injuring 227 others. Thai law enforcement later discovered a trail of underhanded bribes by the building's engineer, so inspectors would turn a blind eye to violations.

12. Cure your 13-fueled phobias

If you suffer from triskaidekaphobia (irrational fear of the number 13) or friggatriskaidekaphobia (irrational fear of Friday the 13th), there's a center just for you. The Friggatriskaidekaphobia Treatment Center in Pocopson, Pa. says it offers treatment through "clever games, costumed hosts, exhibits of silly superstitions, anti-superstition music and free educational literature."

13. Taylor Swift seems to have found good luck on Friday the 13th

Taylor Swift's social media accounts were hacked on Tuesday. (Charles Sykes / Invision / AP)

The singer was born on the 13th, turned 13 on Friday the 13th, her first album went gold in 13 weeks, and her first #1 song had a 13 second intro. Swift also says every time she's won an award she has been sitting in either the 13th row, 13th seat, 13th section or row M, which is the 13th letter, according to MTV. 

But these may or may not be true it's up to you to decide.