BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth

Subject: RE: BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth
From: Wolfgang
Date: 19 Dec 02 - 09:02 AM

A history of the international date line

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 19 Dec 02 - 08:55 AM

One question that always bothered me is: was there an international date line, before the Greenwich Royal Observatory was established ?
The only thing that I can assume was that in those days, no-one cared enough about the nether regions of globe to worry about it. Until the concept of a zero longditude it would have been impossible to state what the date was in some parts of the globe.

Subject: RE: BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth
From: MMario
Date: 19 Dec 02 - 08:13 AM

Well - when the "new" calender went into effect they also straightened up a lot of other mistakes in timing - many communities kept their own records - and time "slipped" from place to place. I remember in one book I was reading you could actually go from NOVEMBER in one city - travel through another and be in JANUARY of the NEXT year - and still have time to travel BACK to the first city in time for Christmas!

By the time the Gregorian Calander was put into place timekeeping was standardized enough that most of the "errors" and differences were corrected in (almost) one swell foop. England and (I believe) Russia held onto the old calander longer then others. Russia, If I am correct - was still on the "Old Calender" into the late 1800's.

Subject: RE: BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth
From: Amos
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 11:27 PM

What, and start a whole new bunch of stupid superstitions up?? Oi!! Is there any OTHER planet I could apply to?


A

Subject: RE: BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth
From: Ebbie
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 11:19 PM

Ah, but Amos, then you would be the new martyr- with disciples, adherents and fanatics who would quote you, teach others about you and encourage the whole world to celebrate your birthday.

Subject: RE: BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth
From: Amos
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 10:16 PM

Nothing makes you bad, O Nameless One, but your own wishing. Nor did I say it did. You are not asking an etymological question, but an anthropological one. And I did not mean to rebuke your honest curiosity -- I just think I would be a lot more interested, myself, in a cure for the addlepated cross-generation of superstition.

Unfortunately, if such a cure were to be discovered it would be the end of all the organized religions in the nation as well as 95% of the marketing organizations, advertising companies, and political campaigns. So they's probably kill anyone who found one! :>)

A

Subject: RE: BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth
From: Ebbie
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 10:13 PM

I used to work with a Mexican man who told me also that Tuesdays on the 13th are the bugaboo.

(I've thought that the Friday the 13th superstition probably comes from the Friday that Jesus was killed; the 13th from the number of Last Supper guests. I really don't know- for all I know, the superstition has a much more recent and more direct cause.)

But, let's see: under the old calendar, you say, MMario, that
#1- the 'old' Friday became a Tuesday when the new calendar went into effect. (I haven't a clue as to how one knows that.)
#2: Mexico is preponderantly Roman Catholic.
#3 The Catholics are the one who changed the calendar.
#4- The hierarchy are the ones who held onto the knowledge that Fridays were now the new Tuesdays?
#5- Which means that the common people still hark to that knowledge?

huh? Maybe?

Subject: RE: BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth
From: MMario
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 09:05 PM

Actually - my answer *WAS* serious.

Subject: RE: BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 07:14 PM

Well some of us find etymology of interest. I don't think makes us bad.

Subject: RE: BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth
From: Amos
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 07:10 PM

Well, start with Catholicism and work it out. I'd be a LOT more interested in knowing a cure for mindless superstition than maundering around about where they came from, myself!


A

Subject: RE: BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 05:47 PM

Ask a serious question, get a pile of crap in reply. Welcome to 'the best site on the internet'.

John-S,

It's an interesting question, but I'm afraid I don't know the answer. There's quite a lot of information on the origins of Friday the 13th but you may know that stuff already.

I've found a number of sites that refer to 'Tuesday the 13th' as being a superstition in Mexico, but none that explain why.

I'd be interested to know too. Sadly, most of the knowledgable posters to this site have left. The 'fun' just got too much...

Subject: RE: BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth
From: Amos
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 05:29 PM

Clear as Mudcat, MM!! :>)

A

Subject: RE: BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth
From: MMario
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 03:22 PM

well - when the calendar change went into effect - what SHOULD have been Friday became a tuesday - so you see, Tuesday the 13th is actually Friday the 13th under the old calender.

Subject: RE: BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth
From: Cluin
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 03:10 PM

`Cause Tuesdays just "suck" generally?

Subject: RE: BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth
From: Amos
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 02:57 PM

It hink it started with Daylight Savings time, which pushed Friday the Thirteenth into Sunday on leap-years, of course.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth
From: catspaw49
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 02:32 PM

Actually, in some months, Friday the thirteenth falls on a Wednesday or Thursday as well....occasionally a Monday.....and even on the weekend days at times.

Spaw (with thanks to Walt Kelly)

Subject: RE: BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth
From: Gareth
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 02:29 PM

Hmmmm ! Spanish - this needs inquisition.

Gareth

Subject: BS: Tuesday the Thirteenth
From: John-S
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 01:35 PM

Does anyone know why Tuesday the Thirteenth rather than Friday the Thirteenth is considered to be an unlucky day in some Spanish-speaking countries?