Society · Facts & sources
4 sourced facts about lucky charms, talismans, and superstition, each with the context behind the number. 4 more are in today's round and appear here after it closes.
Answerabout 17 to 21 million
The fear even has a name -- paraskevidekatriaphobia -- and Friday the 13th is considered the most feared date in modern history.
Source: Wikipedia (2025) en.wikipedia.org
Answerroughly 10,000 a day
What's naturally rare in the wild can be reliably reproduced at scale through selective plant breeding.
Source: Wikipedia (2025) en.wikipedia.org
Answerabout 1 in 5,076
That's actually better odds than the commonly quoted 1-in-10,000 figure people usually assume.
Source: Wikipedia (2017) en.wikipedia.org
Answerup to 10,000 times
B.F. Skinner's pigeons kept performing random actions they associated with a reward, even after the reward stopped -- a classic model for how superstitions form.
Source: Wikipedia (2025) en.wikipedia.org