FRIDAY 13TH: PART THREE
Friday 13th: Part three
THE superstitious were bracing themselves for a run of bad luck today for the third time this year as yet another Friday the 13th rolled around.
Today's inauspicious date follows Friday 13ths in February and March this year.
The last year to contain three doom-laden days was 1987, the year of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster, the Hungerford shootings, the Great Storm, the King's Cross fire and the outrage at Enniskillen.
This year, with the hurricanes in Central America, flooding in the UK, the Omagh bombing and Swiss Air disaster, has also seen a succession of tragedies.
However, only true triskaidekaphobes -the term coined for people who fear Friday 13th -would put them down to the vagaries of the calendar.
It will not be until 2009 before another triple-whammy of bad luck strikes.
Next year will see only one Friday 13th, but as the last one before the millennium, Friday August 13 could hold special terrors to the ultra-superstitious.
A poll published today showed that fear of Friday 13th is still widespread with nearly one in 10 people pledging to take "extreme care" during the day.
THE superstitious were bracing themselves for a run of bad luck today for the third time this year as yet another Friday the 13th rolled around.
Today's inauspicious date follows Friday 13ths in February and March this year.
The last year to contain three doom-laden days was 1987, the year of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster, the Hungerford shootings, the Great Storm, the King's Cross fire and the outrage at Enniskillen.
This year, with the hurricanes in Central America, flooding in the UK, the Omagh bombing and Swiss Air disaster, has also seen a succession of tragedies.
However, only true triskaidekaphobes -the term coined for people who fear Friday 13th -would put them down to the vagaries of the calendar.
It will not be until 2009 before another triple-whammy of bad luck strikes.
Next year will see only one Friday 13th, but as the last one before the millennium, Friday August 13 could hold special terrors to the ultra-superstitious.
A poll published today showed that fear of Friday 13th is still widespread with nearly one in 10 people pledging to take "extreme care" during the day.
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/0498
Published Date: 13-Nov-98
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