This Indiana town was once so superstitious it made black cats wear bells on Friday the 13th

Black cats in Indiana had to wear bells on Friday 13. — (Image credit: iStock)

Residents of French Lick Springs, Indiana, had a serious case of triskaidekaphobia — or fear of Friday the 13th — in 1942:

The Friday the 13th effect is real, too — fewer babies are born on the unlucky day than any other in the year, and in 1993 a British study concluded that transportation accidents were 52 percent higher on Fridays that fell on the 13th compared with the previous Friday. "Staying at home is recommended," the paper concluded.

Maybe those bells weren't such a bad idea.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.