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Today is possibly one of the most feared days of the year (after April 15th), and rightfully so. There is a list of unfortunate events that have happened on Friday the 13th, and precautions taken when it comes to the number 13.

If you’re superstitious and this list makes you feel a bit eerie, avoid black cats and walking under ladders today.

Unfortunate Friday the 13th events:

• July 1951: The Great Flood killed 24 people, destroyed more than 2 million acres of land in Kansas and caused $760 million in damage. 
• March 1964: The “Good Friday” earthquake wasn’t actually so good. It remains the largest earthquake in North American history, killing 131 people near Prince William Sound. 
• July 1987: An F4 tornado ripped through Edmonton, Alberta, killing 27 people and injuring at least 300. 
• March 1992: An earthquake killed nearly 2,000 people and left 50,000 homeless in Turkey.

Unlucky people on Friday the 13th:

•  Tupac Shakur was shot and killed in Las Vegas on a Friday the 13th. 
• Al Capone was sentenced to prison on a Friday the 13th. 
• Benny Goodman, the King of Swing, died on a Friday the 13th. 
• Hubert Humphrey, the 38th Vice President of the United States, died on a Friday the 13th.  

Friday The 13th Facts 

• In a traditional hangman’s noose there are 13 twists of the rope and 13 steps to the gallows. 
• Many buildings don’t count their 13th floors. You’ll see on their elevators that the numbers skip from 12 to 14. 
• There is no 13th Avenue in San Francisco, instead Funston Avenue is between 12th and 14th Avenues. 
• In Formula 1 racing, there is no car with the number 13. The number has been removed after two drivers were killed in crashes, both driving cars numbered 13. 
• Killers Charles Manson, Saddam Hussein, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Theodore Bundy, and Jack The Ripper each have 13 letters in their names.

Still not spooked about the superstitions surrounding today? Maybe Friday the 13th will:

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