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Triskaidekaphobia

The number 13 is traditionally associated with bad luck. This superstition leads some people to fear or avoid anything involving this number, a condition known as triskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia leads to interesting practices such as the numbering of floors as 1, 2, ..., 11, 12, 14, 15, ..., omitting the number 13, in many high-rise hotels.

See also 13, Baker's Dozen, Friday the Thirteenth




© 1996-9 Eric W. Weisstein
1999-05-26