Are you superstitious? Friday just might be your lucky day to strike it rich.
This Friday the 13th, U.S. residents will get a shot at seeing just how strong their luck is.
Some people are wearily suspicious of the mysterious date -- they won't look into a mirror or cross paths with a black cat. But one thing that shouldn't be avoided this Friday the 13th is playing the Mega Millions.
After nobody won Tuesday's $1.1 billion Mega Millions jackpot, this Friday's prize will be worth a whopping $1.35 billion. It's the second-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history and the fourth-largest lottery prize ever.
While some of us feel lucky on Friday the 13th, others are so terrified that they lock themselves inside their home. There's even two terms to describe people who fear Friday the 13th -- paraskavedekatriaphobia and friggatriskaidekaphobia.
So, when did the date become the harbinger of bad luck? Negative superstitions have swirled around the number 13 for centuries.
According to the History Channel, the origin of the fear may involve one of the world's oldest legal documents, the Code of Hammurabi, composed during 1755–1750 BC. The ancient text reportedly omitted a 13th law from its list of legal rules -- which could have just been a clerical error made by one of the document's earliest translators, or maybe not.
Another early theory for the number's unlucky connotation revolves around the bible, according to National Geographic. Judas Iscariot, the 13th guest to arrive at the Last Supper, betrays Jesus. And the crucifixion of Jesus was on a Friday.
In other cultures, the ancient Egyptians thought the number 13 symbolized death, and early Hindus believed it was unlucky for exactly 13 people to gather in one place. The number 13 is so engrained with fear that a majority of hotels, hospitals and airports avoid using it for rooms, floors and gates.
The number 13 became linked with Friday and bad luck in 1907, when the novel "Friday, the Thirteenth" was published. Written by Thomas William Lawson, the book tells the story of a New York City stockbroker who plays on superstitions about the date to create chaos on Wall Street and make a killing on the market, per the History Channel.
Friday the 13th took on a life of its own in 1980 when a slasher flick by the same name introduced the world to the hockey mask-wearing killer Jason Voorhees. The movie spawned a franchise that went on to release 12 movies, a TV series, comic books and more, becoming one of the highest-grossing horror franchises in the world.
Is it all just a coincidence? Weird luck? A sign? No one knows for sure. But if you want to test your luck, buying a Mega Millions ticket for Friday's drawing could pay off in a gigantic way. Of course, the odds of hitting the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350 -- but you could be that one!
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