If you're superstitious, you should probably sleep through as much of today as you can - because it's Friday 13th .

Legend has it that Friday 13th is the unluckiest day in the calendar.

The fear of Friday 13th even has a name - friggatriskaidekaphobia, which combines a fear of Fridays with the perception that number 13 is seriously unlucky.

Some say it's comes from the Bible. For example, Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was described as "the 13th guest" at the Last Supper.

Also, events including the great flood during the time of Noah, Eve tempting Adam with the forbidden fruit and Jesus' death all apparently happened on Fridays.

Others believe it's linked to Norse mythology, which tells how Loke, the demigod of mischief turned up uninvited, joining 12 others and taking their number to 13.

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He then sparked the chaos that led to the death of Balder, a good god.

Unlucky for some? Friday 13th is feared by many (
Image:
Getty)

But, truth be told, it isn't really clear why it's thought to be unlucky.

This year, there have been three Friday 13ths - in February, March and this month.

And the fear is taken very seriously by many.

These 13 tales of terrible luck and horror may help you understand why...

13 - A bus conductor has a run of serious bad luck...

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Retired bus conductor Bob Renphrey of North Wales decided to spend every Friday 13th in bed after a run of bad luck on the fateful day.

Among other misfortunes he wrote off four cars, got made redundant, fell into a river, crashed a motorcycle and walked through a plate glass door.

Can't blame him, really.

12 - ...and it didn't stop when he died

When Bob died of cancer in 1998, his widow Betty – who on previous Friday 13ths had fallen downstairs, been hit by falling guttering and been hospitalised after Bob hit her in the face with a stick he was throwing to a dog - decided to book his funeral for Friday 13th March as a final tribute

Alas, all Rhyl’s undertakers were too busy.

“Bob would have seen the funny side,” said Mrs Renphrey.

11 - A not so happy ending

Bad luck: Michael Chopra and Heather Swan tied the knot on Friday 13th

Former Sunderland striker Michael Chopra broke up with WAG Heather Swan just three weeks after their £250,000 wedding.

Care to hazard a guess when they got married?

Yep, the ceremony was held on Friday 13th June, 2008.

10 - Even staying in bed couldn't help this man

Friday 13th August, 1976, was particularly unlucky for New York man Daz Baxter.

Having elected to stay in bed to ward off bad luck, the floor of his apartment block collapsed and he fell six storeys to his death.

9 - The unluckiest day of this couple's life?

They weren't buzzing: A swarm of wasps ruined one couple's big day - on Friday 13th (
Image:
Getty)

Michelle and Gary Docherty had a memorable wedding on Friday 13 August 2004.

First, a swarm of wasps attacked guests at East Kilbride Registry Office, Lanarkshire, as they waited for Michelle’s arrival.

Her aunt Mary Strachan smashed an expensive digital camera trying to swat one of the pests, and when Michelle finally did turn up, an insect flew up her dress, triggering a panic attack.

After the ceremony, two minibuses booked to transport guests to the reception failed to turn up and the couple lost their wedding video.

8 - A real life disaster situation

Bad day at the office: A plane carrying a rugby team crashed in the Andes on Friday 13th (
Image:
Getty)

Friday October 13th, 1972, was the date a plane carrying Uruguayan rugby team Montevideo Old Christians crashed on its way from Montevideo to Santiago, Chile.

When rescuers finally found the 14 survivors two months later, it emerged that they had survived by eating human flesh from some of 31 crew and passengers who perished in the crash.

In 1992, the story was filmed as Alive, starring Ethan Hawke .

7 - A seriously unlucky accident

Flawed methodology: A full moon on Friday 13th drove Robert Bullard to attempt suicide (
Image:
Getty)

A full moon on Friday February 13th, 1987, drove troubled Robert Bullard, 21, to attempt suicide by putting his head in a gas oven.

Not only was his methodology flawed – suicide by natural gassing is virtually impossible since Britain moved from lethal coke gas to less dangerous natural gas – but a flicked light switch caused an explosion which injured his mother and a policeman and caused £35,000.

Robert was unharmed.

6 - Britain's unluckiest man

Friday 13 February 1998 was simply business as usual for Mancunian John Sheridan, dubbed Britain’s unluckiest man after once having his car stolen five times in one day, making 16 trips to casualty in two years, seeing eight TVs explode in six months and losing out on a £4000 lottery win when he put the ticket in the washing machine with his jeans.

Read more : On Friday the 13th, how well do you know your unlucky footballers?

John’s big day began when his Saab ran out of petrol. He hitched a lift with a sympathetic policeman, whose car broke down at the garage.

John returned to his car with a can of petrol, got it started but lost a wheel as he turned a corner. He returned home on a bus, which broke down.

Completing his journey on foot, he realised he’d left his keys inside the car and had to return in case in was stolen.

5 - A bad choice of fancy dress

Not a fine choice: Armed police swooped on a man wearing a Friday 13th fancy dress outfit

In April 2008 a Thames Valley police helicopter and armed response unit swooped on Bicester, Oxfordshire after receiving reports of a man wandering through the town centre wielding a chainsaw.

They found a partygoer who had elected to dress up as Jason from the Friday 13th movies.

A police spokesman said: "They discovered he had removed the blades from his chainsaw and was wearing what was possibly fancy dress .

"Our officers told him to cover up his outfit, or he would be given a fixed penalty notice."

4 - Freak weather chaos

On Friday 13th October 13, 2006, 36 inches of snow fell on upstate New York.

The ensuing chaos claimed three lives and incurred $130 million of damage.

3 - Tupac loses his battle

Drive-by: Tupac Shakur was killed on Friday 13th (
Image:
Rex)

Friday September 13th, 1996, saw rapper Tupac Shakur die of wounds he received in a drive-by shooting after Mike Tyson’s comeback fight against Bruce Seldon in Las Vegas on September 6.

After Shakur’s cremation, members of his posse Outlawz Immortal mixed some of his ashes with marijuana and smoked them.

2 - No one Saw that coming

Shut down: SAW - The Ride, based on the horror movie franchise, was closed due to technical issues

On Friday March 13, 2009, Thorpe Park premiered its new 'SAW - The Ride' based on the successful horror film.

However, it looks like the curse of the day could have struck because the ride had to promptly shut down because of technical problems.

1 - A mere coincidence?

Bad day for Britain: Margaret Thatcher was born on Friday 13th, 1925 (
Image:
Mirrorpix)

And the unluckiest Friday 13th of them all - on Friday October 13, 1925, Lincolnshire couple Alfred and Beatrice Roberts had their second child.

She’s better known now as Margaret Thatcher.

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