Number thirteen

Number thirteen is divided into 2, 3, 4 and 6, which at a low level of calculations in antiquity gave a great advantage. But number thirteen caused some trouble, because it was not divided into anything. It also made difficulties in the calendar. For example, in Babylon the year contained 12 lunar months that comprised 354 days and the balance of 11-12 days. The latter had to be disposed of somewhere, and it was necessary, as in Ancient Rus, to enter the thirteenth month every three years. It was a lot of trouble. Astronomer D. Svyatsky wrote: "the thirteenth extra month knocked down our ancestors' pantalik in their time account and therefore enjoyed a general dislike, hence the "fucking dozen" - the number thirteen".

And now, especially in the West, there is a widespread belief that the number thirteen will bring nothing but bad. So, in 1930 in England several thousand Londoners signed a petition with a request to remove all thirteenth numbers from their homes, and in the United States and other countries some high-ranking officials never enter rooms with rooms numbering thirteen. In many hotels there are no thirteenth numbers and floors, thirteenth transport routes, etc. But not all believed in these superstitions. For example, the well-known pilot V. Emelianov in his book "In the Air Strong Air" writes: "I did not believe in various predictions and signs, so I did not let go of the front, shaved daily, did not recognize either Mondays ("hard days"), nor number thirteen. More than, on the thirteenth, I was often lucky in combat affairs, and this surprised a lot of other pilots. And after I was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union by decree of April thirteenth, 1944 on the list, I saw the number thirteen against my name, many have disappeared distrust of that "the number of fatal".

At one time, foreign newspapers talked a lot about the treachery of the number of thirteen in connection with the flight of "Apollo 13", which almost ended with a catastrophe. Apparently, therefore, journalists reminded before the start of the ill-fated ill-fated number of thirteen cosmonaut-13 V. Shatalov, for which they received an appropriate response. And in one of the TV reports from the Soyuz-13 spacecraft his commander P. Klim joked: "We are not worried about the number of our" Union. "We are sure that the flight will be successful". And it was brilliantly justified!