--- title: Friday the 13th Bad Luck: 5 Good Things that Happened on Friday 13th description: Friday the 13th isn't all bad luck. Here are 5 good things that happened on that dreaded date. (Mercury retrograde we can't help you with.) canonical: https://time.com/2866748/5-actually-good-things-that-happened-on-friday-the-13th/ author: Laura Stampler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-13T11:32:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:48:36.475Z og:title: 5 Actually Good Things that Happened on Friday the 13th og:description: It's not all bad! og:url: https://time.com/2866748/5-actually-good-things-that-happened-on-friday-the-13th/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 5 Actually Good Things that Happened on Friday the 13th twitter:description: It's not all bad! twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # 5 Actually Good Things That Happened on Friday the 13th > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1fc9ff73-d19c-48b6-b289-fc6650ec7e13&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1fc9ff73-d19c-48b6-b289-fc6650ec7e13&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=1fc9ff73-d19c-48b6-b289-fc6650ec7e13&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Jun 13, 2014 11:32 AM UTC by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Jun 13, 2014 11:32 AM UTC **Correction appended, June 13, 3:04 p.m.** For those of us with the windows drawn, desperate to avoid the double whammy of Friday the 13th and Mercury retrograde at all costs—change out of your hole-y sweatpants and go outside. Friday the 13th isn’t as calamitous as some people make it out to be. Sure, the 1989 stock market dip, Tupac Shakur’s death, and the sinking of Costa Concordia all happened on that dreaded day, but some good stuff happened, too. Here are 5 good things that happened on Friday the 13th (Mercury retrograde we can’t help you with): **LBJ signed an executive order designed to eliminate hiring discrimination based on gender on October 13, 1967**[Executive Order 11375](http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=60553) was applicable to the United States federal workforce and government contractors. **The accordion was patented January 13, 1854**And who _doesn’t_ love at least the option of hearing good polka? Or in this case,a reinterpretation of Vivaldi: **The first female flight instructor was** **licensed October 13, 1939** You crash through that glass ceiling with your airplane,[ Evelyn Pinckert Kilgore](http://books.google.com/books?id=EmgLHStZPhkC&pg=PA453&lpg=PA453&dq=october+13+1939+first+female&source=bl&ots=CSHqqBCwWf&sig=VyKavv-SDONtr9rMJfq7pu5n%5FJQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rOCaU5RZpeawBMqUgNgF&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=october%2013%201939%20first%20female&f=false)! **It was a really good day for the** **_Friday the 13th_** **film franchise**When adjusted for ticket price inflation, the [films grossed a total of $738 million](http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=fridaythe13th.htm)  Actress America Olivo arrives at the premiere of Warner Bros.' "Friday the 13th" Kevin Winter—;Getty Images **And most importantly, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen were born June 13, 1986** I have three rebuttals for the haters out there who think that this is anything but a good thing: 1) [_Passport to Paris_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0202521/)_,_ 2) The song [_Brother for Sale_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3l3-B3vW0w), 3) This picture exists: > [](https://twitter.com/aguywithnolife/status/439827207645454336) **Correction:** This original version of this story misstated Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen’s birthday. They were born June 13, 1988. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2866748/5-actually-good-things-that-happened-on-friday-the-13th/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2866748/5-actually-good-things-that-happened-on-friday-the-13th/"},"headline":"5 Actually Good Things That Happened on Friday the 13th","datePublished":"2014-06-13T11:32:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:48:36.475Z","description":"Don't believe the hype","url":"https://time.com/2866748/5-actually-good-things-that-happened-on-friday-the-13th/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Bizarre","Appreciation"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laura Stampler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2866748/5-actually-good-things-that-happened-on-friday-the-13th/","name":"5 Actually Good Things That Happened on Friday the 13th"}}]}] ```