10 Crazy Friday the 13th Facts

For some, Friday the 13th is just another day. For many, however, it's anything but.

10.) According to Dr. Donald Dossey, a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of phobias as many as 21 million Americans and up to 60 million people worldwide are affected by paraskevidekatriaphobia, which is a "morbid, irrational fear" of Friday the 13th. Many of them refuse to even get out of the bed, much less drive or go to work, take the kids to school, etc on this day.

9.) Both Napoleon Bonaparte and President Herbert Hoover were famously stricken with the phobia.

8.) The Heavy Metal Band Black Sabbath released their self titled debut album on Friday the 13th in 1970.

7.) The irrational fear of things associated with the number 13 is known as triskaidekaphobia. Approximately 9% of Americans suffer from this phobia.

6.) President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a dinner party.

5.) Mark Twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. "It was bad luck," Twain later told the friend. "They only had food for 12."

4.) In Paris,  triskaidekaphobia stricken diners can hire a "quatorzieme", or professional 14th guest.

3.) Of the 12 Friday The 13th movies, 4 of them were released on Friday the 13th including the original in 1980.

2.) Fidel Castro, Steve Buscemi and Margaret Thatcher were all born on a Friday the 13th.

1.) Many hospitals don't have a 13th floor, while many airports don't have a gate 13 and many skyscrapers don't have 13th floors. (For those suffering with triskaidekaphobia who plan on flying out of DFW, terminals C & D skip gate 13. All other terminals have a gate 13. )

Today is the first of 3 Friday the 13th's this year. 2013 has three as well. Going to be a long couple of years for those suffering with paraskevidekatriaphobia. We wish them well.