To prove the fear was nonsense, Captain William Fowler founded "The Thirteen Club" in 1881. At their first meeting on Friday the 13th, 13 members walked under ladders, spilled salt, and dined in Room 13. They all survived, and the club eventually included five U.S. Presidents. Real-World Effects Whether the luck is real or not, the economic impact is:

: Thomas Lawson published the novel Friday, the Thirteenth , about a rogue broker who uses the superstition to crash the stock market.

Interestingly, the specific combination of "Friday" and "13" as a day of bad luck didn't fully take hold until the .

: Some studies suggest there are actually fewer accidents on Friday the 13th—not because of magic, but because people are so nervous that they drive and act more cautiously than usual.

: Long considered "irregular" compared to the "perfect" 12 (12 months, 12 zodiac signs, 12 gods of Olympus). In Christian tradition, Judas was the 13th guest at the Last Supper.

The superstition, known technically as , is a "double whammy" of two ancient anxieties:

: Airlines often see a dip in bookings, and some planes lack a Row 13.