'13' has a history

Happy Friday the 13th - is anybody superstitious? Remember "Step on a crack, break your mother's back" or "Don't walk under a ladder?" I suppose some people are leery of some of the negative connotations to do with this phenomenon but I think it's all in how you look at it. I mean, really, it is only one day out of the week - and only the second one in 2006 - but I was curious about it and began some research into the phenomenon.

Of course, there is a lot of bad luck associated with the date with many of the fears beginning in the Middle Ages or Dark Ages in history about 700 years ago. Some are even associated with the Bible and Christianity. Amidst all of the bad luck around this day, it is considered good luck to be born on Friday 13. Go figure.

At the Web site www.uselessfacts.info there is also some interesting trivia on the subject. For instance, did you know that 13 people each year are killed when vending machines fall on them? How sad. Or, that it would take 13 years and eight months to stay one night in every room at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas? This information is from 1999 so if the MGM Grand has added any rooms, it would not be valid today. Do you remember the Apollo 13 Lunar Mission troubles in 1970? The mission had to be aborted due to a fuel cell explosion in the service module. Liftoff time was 13:13 Central Standard Time in military time and the date was April 13. There was even a movie made about the flight starring Tom Hanks.

New Hampshire will allow a girl of 13 to marry with parent's consent. Scary. For every 100 smokers, 53 try to quit but only 13 are successful. Pretty sad ... Hangman's nooses have 13 loops because "anything less isn't considered proper," according to an executioner. Hmmm, I wonder if the "hangee" cares about the number of loops.

In doing my search, I was looking for relative information to our area and was going to different sites. I typed in uselessfacts.com hoping to get some trivia but instead found a listing of several categories to choose from. At the very bottom of the list was a link to a site for "humor in or near Minden, Nev." I was so excited when I clicked on it hoping to find some consolidated information to put in the column until I saw the results. There in a block in the middle of the page was the message: "Sorry, we could not find a result for humor in or near Minden, Nev." Now that's funny. I am willing to take on the challenge, how about you? Please send me your funny or humorous stories and we'll put them in future columns. I look forward to hearing from you.

Have a ramblin' good week.

n To reach Gail Davis, e-mail hilltopranch97@charter.net or call 265-1947.