Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
(KSL News) Superstitious people avoid black cats and breaking mirrors, but nobody can escape Friday the thirteenth.
Has the date's unlucky reputation kept Utahns home today?
Audrey Wilson says, "We all ventured out past our door, didn't we? (laughs)"
"I flew on a plane this morning and thought about it as I was buckling up, but other than that I haven't spent much time thinking about it today," airline passenger Joe Barnard says.
But Friday the thirteenth is more than a thought for some. Psychotherapists estimate almost 21 million people fear the date. The origins of the fear aren't clear, but some believe it has religious roots.
It's believed that Judas was the thirteenth guest at the Last Supper and Jesus was crucified on a Friday. Other explanations come from Norse mythology or the belief that 13 is an unlucky number.
The next Friday the thirteenth comes this July.








