2026 is quite the year for Friday the 13th. This year, we have 3 extremely unlucky days to choose from (sidenote: if you want to know when the next Friday the 13th is, check out our calendar). To honor this special/terrifying year, we have compiled a list of the 13 scariest IRL events that have happened on Friday the 13th in years past.
1. Double Whammy
On October 13th, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, chartered by an amateur rugby team, was on its way to Santiago, Chile, when it crashed into the Andes mountains in Argentina. Of the 45 passengers aboard, only 16 survived. For two months, the wreckage was nowhere to be found. When the survivors were finally located, it was discovered that the remaining people had resorted to cannibalism to survive.
On this same day, a second tragedy struck. Aeroflot Flight 217, a flight from Paris to Moscow, crashed when the plane failed to level off horizontally during landing. This caused speculation that the crew was somehow incapacitated or had lost control of the plane, although the official cause of the crash has not been discovered to this day. In total, all 164 passengers and 10 crew members were killed. At the time, this was the deadliest plane crash to have ever happened.
I think what we can determine from these two calamities is not to board a flight on Friday the 13th. Nothing good ever seems to happen.
2. Don’t Ice Us Out
Another October Friday the 13th, possibly the unluckiest 13th you could have. On October 13th, 2006, a whopping 2 feet of snow had blanketed Buffalo, New York. This immense snowfall caused many problems for residents of the Buffalo area, including but not limited to: roads being impassable, 13 people dying (one of those people being crushed by a tree), 400,000 people left without power, and more. This day had a heavy impact on the city of Buffalo, leaving devastating effects on the environment and city infrastructure.
3. Sorry, Daz
Daz Baxter was a superstitious guy who preferred to stay home in bed on Friday the 13th. Well, on August 13th, 1976, Daz was at home, getting ready to do exactly that, when he heard an alarming creak. Then, the unthinkable happened – the entire apartment complex collapsed. Baxter, who had spent his entire life trying to avoid the curse of the 13th, fell 6 stories to his death. He couldn’t even stay safe in his own home. If only he had a Friday the 13th survival kit on hand…
4. Hasta Luego, Concordia or Abandon Ship
The Costa Concorida was a one-of-a-kind Italian cruise ship, weighing 114,137 tons. This mighty ship was one of the biggest built in Italy in its time, until its demise. On January 13, 2012, the Costa Concordia hit a rock in the Tyrrhenian Sea, just off the shore of the Isola del Giglio, causing a massive tear in the hull. Subsequently, the ship began flooding, causing panic amongst its passengers. The evacuation took 6 hours, and 32 people were deceased. The ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
5. Long Live the Queen
Even the royal family is not safe from the unlucky #13. On September 13, 1940, Queen Elizabeth and King George VI were enjoying a royal breakfast when the famous Buckingham Palace was bombed. At the time, Nazi Germany was in full force and targeting the British Monarch. In total, five bombs were dropped, injuring four people and killing one more. However, the Queen and King were both unharmed.
6. Rest in Peace, Kitty
Catherine “Kitty” Genovese was a 28-year-old bartender living in New York City. On March 13, 1964, Kitty was outside her apartment when she was brutally attacked and stabbed to death. According to The New York Times, over 37 people heard Kitty’s cries and screams, but no one stepped in to help. This led to what we now call the “bystander effect,” or sometimes also known as “Genovese syndrome.” The man who murdered Kitty, 29-year-old Winston Moseley, was arrested for an unrelated burglary, and later confessed to his crime in jail. He was sentenced to death, but later died in prison at the age of 81. He served a 52-year-long sentence.
7. No More California Love
Famous rapper and political activist Tupac Shakur was riding in a Black BMW with his friend, Suge Knight, when he was shot four times. The incident occurred on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas, Nevada, after Tupac attended a wrestling match. Apparently, while leaving the match, Tupac got into a fight with Orlando Anderson, a member of the South Side Compton Crips gang. It’s suspected that the shooter was also a member of the gang, although a killer has never been officially determined. Tupac died on September 13, 1996, at the age of 25, shocking the world.
8. Mask Up
March 13, 2020, is an infamous date in United States history. It was the day that a national emergency was declared due to the coronavirus. This mandated lockdown was in place for over a year, depriving everyone of their sense of normalcy and routine.
9. Don’t Try to Ride This Cyclone
The 1970 Bhola Cyclone is known for being the deadliest tropical cyclone in history. It killed over 500,000 people in Bangladesh and caused immense damage. It affected over 3.6 million people, and the damage cost over 86.4 million US dollars at the time (now estimated to be 701 million). Thousands of homes were destroyed, and most people relied on food aid for months after the storm.
10. Look Out, Below!
American daredevil Sam Patch was known for jumping from great heights. Well, what was his passion ended up killing him. On November 13, 1829, Patch jumped into the Genesee River, but never resurfaced. Onlookers suspected that Patch had hidden in a nearby cave to stir up excitement, but his frozen remains were discovered a year later. Although an official cause of death is unknown, it is most likely that he died from blunt force trauma and/or drowning. Maybe stay on the ground next time, Sam?
11. Burned Alive
On October 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered his officers to arrest hundreds of the Knights Templar, which was a powerful military order formed to defend the Holy Land. The Templars were tortured and interrogated, and the King later had these convicts executed by burning at the stake. It’s suspected he killed them for financial gain.
12. A Black Friday
Victoria, Australia, suffered greatly after a massive wildfire clouded the city. In total, 71 people died, and thousands lost their homes. Over 4,900,000 acres were destroyed. The event occurred on January 13, 1939, and has been nicknamed “Black Friday.” This was recorded as the 3rd deadliest fire in Australian history, right behind the 1983 Ash Wednesday Bushfires and the 2009 Black Saturday Bushfires.
13. A Day of Despair
The worst day of all. On December 13, 1974, our FrightFind partner/cofounder Joel Caudill was born. This is known as the darkest day in history, filled with anguish and despair. If you see him on the street, turn around and run. He might get you.
Love this article? There’s plenty more to choose from. Check out our other Friday the 13th stuff for some spooky fun.
