The Exorcist writer William Peter Blatty's death, Tupac's passing, and Buckingham's palace's bombing. What do they all have in common? Friday the 13th. Twice a year, the dreadful and dire date drags itself onto the calendar. Cancelled flights and more cautionary practices fill the day. No matter what our opinion, superstition matters to all of us. Why? What makes Friday the 13th so scary?

There are two parts of this terrifying time. Friday comes from Queen Frigga, meaning Frigga's day. Friday grew into its hexed reputation. Rumors whispered through history turned it into a day of distrust. The most popular origin story comes from Christianity. Eve supposedly gave Adam the apple on Friday - the very apple that kicked them out of the Garden of Eden. On a Friday, the Temple of Solomon was supposedly destroyed. Most of all, Jesus was crucified on a Friday, a day now known as Good Friday.

While Friday may not be my favorite day of the week, Tuesday brings me a joy of cheap food. At Panera, I can get a cheap baker's dozen on Tuesday. A baker's dozen is 13. If I can get 13 toasty, sweet round discs of bread for only $7.99, how can people be so terrified of the number 13. With skipped hotel floors and missing hospital rooms, 13 is notorious for its bad luck. The unlucky 13 can be traced back to a Norse myth about Baldur the Beautiful and Loki the Trickster God.

Baldur the Beautiful, as pleasant as assumed, woke to a start three nights in a row. Nightmares flooded his mind and on the third night, he saw an omen of death. The thought of her beautiful son dying frightened his mother, Queen Frigga. Her fear inspired her to voyage across the world, asking everyone from Gods to pebbles to protect Baldur. Finally finding the security in his son's safety, she set a path to Asgard and declared a celebration.

Every stone thrown, every arrow hurled, and every shot taken missed Baldur the Beautiful. Nothing could hurt him except for one thing. Queen Frigga neglected to ask one measly mistletoe plant. Baldur the Beautiful now had a weakness. Loki, the trickster god, used this weapon to his advantage and snuck into the celebration as an old woman. The malicious god convinced Baldur's blind brother, Hod, to partake in the fun and games, handing him a small mistletoe dart. As the mistletoe dug into Baldur's heart, the party deflated in despair.

Unable to bring back Baldur the Beautiful, the 12 gods at Asgard put together a banquet to mourn. If you add just one more the mix, that's 13. Loki crashed the wake and as the 13th member, was hated. With 13 as the poor addition to the mix, it is now despised as a symbol of misfortunate.

Together, Friday and 13 bring fear to the superstitious every 200 days. However, not everyone believes in its reputation. Only a quarter of Americans believe in superstitions. The other 75% don't. One particular enemy of the holiday is Captain William Fowler started the Thirteen Club to dispel any superstitions and show the world the fraud of these beliefs. On Friday, January 13, 1882, Captain Fowler and the other twelve members of the Thirteen Club congregated for their inaugural meeting, passing underneath a ladder and sitting with piles of spilt salt. He left a legacy of disbelievers, continuing the Thirteen Club until the 1920s with healthy members.

Whether you're like Captain Fowler or someone who knocks on wood, Friday the 13th is recognizable to everyone's ear. Don't jinx yourself and good luck!