NEWS · B2 Level - Part 5

Did you know these facts about Friday the 13th

Today is Friday, June 13th. And while you may be trying to avoid sidewalk cracks, black cats,

Level: B2 · 17 sentences

Transcript

  1. Today is Friday, June 13th.
  2. And while you may be trying to avoid sidewalk cracks, black cats,
  3. or breaking any mirrors on this notoriously spooky and unlucky day,
  4. I've got some news for you, because...
  5. Did you know Friday the 13th may actually just be a big old school marketing scheme?
  6. There's this long list of possible reasons why Friday the 13th is considered unlucky.
  7. Most of them from ancient history.
  8. One of the most common, the biblical account of the Last Supper where 13 people dined on a Friday just before Jesus was crucified.
  9. It then evolved into a notoriously unlucky day in famous works of literature, folklore, and cinema.
  10. Old heads out there, remember this guy?
  11. But one group of people made it their mission to prove there is nothing to fear about this date on the calendar.
  12. In 1936, a group of 13 men in Philadelphia gathered at a local restaurant to celebrate all things quote "unlucky".
  13. And the trend continued into the '90s.
  14. In Chicago, in New York, even London, they walked under ladders with umbrellas open in doors.
  15. They smashed mirrors, they spilled salt trying to prove that they'd be just fine.
  16. The groups were founded during the Great Depression
  17. and members knew the press would be there to get their antics on camera so that would create publicity for the restaurants and gathering spots they chose.