Friday the 13th is a day long associated with bad luck, but why?
The number 13 seems to have worked out pretty well for us here at WMAZ. We take pride in our prime number status. Even from the beginning.
13WMAZ archivist and historian Aaron Bowers said back when the station originated, the only channel the Federal Communications Commission allowed for Macon was 13. Bowers says a lot of the people at the station didn't want then president George Rankin Jr., to take the number because of its "unlucky" reputation.
Bowers says Rankin told his crew they would spin it, and make an effort to be known as the 'lucky 13.' The station even had a black cat as their original logo.
But the reason for the fear of Friday the 13th is as old as time itself. The number 13 and Friday are recurring themes in myth and religion.
In Christianity, 13 people attended the last supper before Judas' betrayal and Jesus' eventual death on a Friday.
In Norse mythology, 12 gods were having a dinner party when an uninvited 13th guest showed up. This was Loki, the god of mischief. His presence caused the death of Balder, the god of joy and gladness.
Psychologists call a fear of Friday the 13th Friggatriskaidekaphobia. Now because of the timeless fear of the number 13, most tall buildings in the U.S. and Europe don't even have a 13th floor and some just skip having a designated "room 13" altogether.
One such building is Macon's own Fickling building. If you're standing in the elevator and wanting to reach Sell and Melton Attorneys at Law, you'll have to press the button for the 14th floor, even though they're right on top of the 12th floor.
Fortunately for all those Friggatriskaidekaphobics out there, this is the last Friday the 13 of the year. We won't have three in the same year until 2015.
But it's noteworthy that each Friday the 13th this year is separated by exactly 13 weeks.