There's a huge chunk of the population that believe in superstitions, especially when it relates to Friday the 13th.
If you have a fear of what is generally regarded as the "unluckiest day of the year," perhaps one man's story of luck will help you warm up to the idea that the day may not be all that bad.
Kevin Blake from Waterford, Michigan has been buying lottery tickets for as long as he could remember. The 54-year-old has played the same Mega Million numbers at the same 7-Eleven store all this time, and this year, he finally got lucky.
"I always play some family birthdays, and then I get a couple of Easy Picks," Kevin said in an interview with Fox 2.
For that play, he picked the numbers 02-07-18-26-31, with a Mega Ball of 12. As per his routine, he put the ticket in his pocket and proceeded with his day.
"I tucked the ticket in my wallet and didn't give it another thought," said Kevin. "My wife and I went about our normal weekend routine. Little did we know that I had a ticket worth $21 million in my pocket the entire time."
That's right, unbeknownst to Kevin, he had won the jackpot and it wasn't until his wife, Stephanie, was watching the news that she realized they could potentially be the winners.
"We got online and pulled the numbers up," Kevin said. "Almost in unison, we both said: "˜Those are our birthdays!' At that point, I looked at Stephanie and said: "˜High five! We won!'"
However, it wasn't until after they won that the Blakes realized what day they bought the tickets.
When Kevin walked into the 7-Eleven to buy a lottery ticket on Friday, October 13, it was just another part of his routine. The significance of the day did not occur to him or his wife until later.
"I've played the same numbers for years. It didn't even occur to me that it was Friday the 13th," Kevin explained. "For just about every Mega Millions drawing, for as long as I can remember, I've gone to the same 7-Eleven and bought $5 in Mega Millions tickets."
Elsewhere in Rhode Island, another person got lucky on the supposedly cursed day and won a share of the Mega Millions jackpot, so the $42 million was split between the two winners.
Kevin and Stephanie chose to collect the one-time payout, which was about $9.3 million after taxes.
"This is an incredible amount of money, but we're planning to be smart - not spontaneous - with it," said Kevin. "We've always lived within our means and had a comfortable life and this won't change how we approach things. We're both planning to continue working and will use this to pay off bills and then invest the remainder for our retirement. It's great to know that the stress of worrying about our financial future is over."
If you're still not convinced that Friday the 13th, can be a lucky day for some, then you should know that it has been a historically lucky day for Michigan lottery players. Since 2003, Michigan Lottery has given away more than $155 millions of Mega Million prizes on Friday the 13th.
Also, it is interesting to note that the superstition isn't universal. In Italy, 13 is considered a lucky number, and Italians say "fare tredici" ("to do 13") when somebody hits the jackpot.
So I guess, we owe a "fare tredici" to Kevin and Stephanie.
Have you had good luck on Friday the 13th? Let us know!