♪
SUPERSTITION ♪ WRITING ON THE WALL ♪
WALL ♪
WALL ♪ >>
WALL ♪ >> THAT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE
SONGS.
SONGS.
SONGS. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD SOMEONE SAY
GOD BLESS YOU OR AVOID WALKING
UNDER A LEANING
LADDER?
LADDER?
LADDER? WHETHER YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF
SUPERSTITIOUS OR NOT, MANY
FOLLOW IT OUT OF HABIT, NOT
KNOWING WHY.
KNOWING WHY. WITH FRIDAY THE 13th
LOOMING CLOSER.
LOOMING CLOSER. WE THOUGHT WE WOULD BREAK DOWN
FIVE OF THE MOST COMMON
SUPERSTITIONS AND THEIR
ORIGINS.
ORIGINS.
ORIGINS. JOINING ME IS TRENT GILBREATH.
>> ARE YOU READY TO GO
CAMPING?
CAMPING?
CAMPING? >> ALL DAY EVERY DAY.
>> MY DAD WAS AN EAGLE SCOUT.
SO I FELT LIKE THE VIBE OF BOTH
OF THEM. I
STOPPED WHEN I BECAME A SCOUT.
>>> FRIDAY THE 13th IS
UNLUKEY.
UNLUKEY.
UNLUKEY. LET'S START WITH THAT.
THERE ARE A FEW OPTIONS FOR ITS
IMAGINE ORIGINS.
IMAGINE ORIGINS. 12 WAS CONSIDERED PERFECT.
SO 13 WAS ALREADY GOING TO SEEM
SUBPAR.
SUBPAR.
SUBPAR. AND YOU KNOW THE 13th PERSON TO
ARRIVE TO THE LAST SUPPER.
AND NORSE MYTHOLOGY HAS A STORY
IN WHICH CHAOS WAS INTRODUCED
TO THE WORLD BY
LOCKY'S A-- LOKI'S ARRIVAL.
THAT ALL EXPLAINS 13.
BUT A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT TO
PINPOINT WHY FRIDAY.
JESUS IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN
CRUCIFIED ON FRIDAY.
THAT MAY BE ONE.
AND MANY SHY AWAY ENTIRELY.
>> IF YOU LOOK AT LARGE OFFICE
BUILDINGS, SOMETIMES THEY DON'T
HAVE THE FLOOR.
I DON'T PUT TOO MUCH THOUGHT
INTO THAT.
INTO THAT. BUT NOW WITH THAT EVIDENCE, WHO
CARES.
CARES.
CARES. >>
CARES. >> I KNOW, RIGHT?
>> BUT ARE YOU --
>> NO.
>> NO.
>> NO. I'M OKAY.
I'M OKAY.
I'M OKAY. I'M FINE.
I'M FINE.
I'M FINE. EVEN AFTER READING ALL OF
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. I'M
THAT. I'M NOT GOING TO PUT IT ALL IN
ONE DAY.
ONE DAY.
ONE DAY. >>> SPIRIT 13 IS KNOWN AS
TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA.
TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA. NAILED IT.
NAILED IT. >>> THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT
THEORIES ON THIS ONE.
SOME SUGGEST IT STARTED IN
ANCIENT EGYPT WHEN UMBRELLAS
WERE DESIGNED IN THE LIKENESS
OF EGYPTIAN GODDESS SKY.
IT WAS THEREFORE SACRED AND
RESERVED FOR NOBILITY.
OPENING A DOOR WOULD BE
CONSIDERED AN INSULT TO THE GOD
OF THE SUN.
MOST HISTORIANS BELIEVE IT
TRACED BACK TO THE OPENING
MECHANISMS OF MEDAL.
>> YOU CAN POKE YOUR EYE OUT.
>> UNDERSTANDABLE.
>> UNDERSTANDABLE. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. NOW UMBRELLAS OPEN ON THEIR
OWN.
OWN.
OWN. IT'S
OWN. IT'S ALL GOOD.
BUT YEAH.
BUT YEAH.
BUT YEAH. I MEAN, THESE THINGS HAVE BEEN
TOLD SO OFTEN.
LIKE YOU USED TO BE ABLE TO
OPEN AN UMBRELLA.
>> IT'S LIKE ENGRAINED IN YOU.
>> I KEEP THEM AWAY.
THEY WIELD THEM.
>>> WHY DO WE ALWAYS SAY GOD
BLESS THE SEIZE?
WELL, SAY -- SNEEZE.
IT HAS ITS ORIGIN IN THE MIDDLE
AGES AND ASSOCIATED WITH THE
BLACK PLAGUE.
BLACK PLAGUE. THE SNEEZES OFTEN PROCEEDED
MUCH MORE SERIOUS ILLNESS.
BY OFFERING THE BLESSING, THE
HOPE WAS THAT GOD WOULD SPARE
THE PERSON THE ILLNESS AND
THEIR SOUL WOULD REMAIN WITH
THEIR BODY JUST A LITTLE
LONGER.
LONGER.
LONGER. >> THAT IS CRAZY ESPECIALLY
WHEN YOU HAVE A 10-SECOND
SNEEZE.
SNEEZE.
SNEEZE. >> HOW MANY GOD BLESS US DO
YOU GIVE?
YOU GIVE?
YOU GIVE? IF SOMEONE DOES TWO?
>> NO.
>> NO.
>> NO. I'M A CONTINUE GOD BLESS YOU.
GOD BLESS YOU, GOD BLESS YOU.
AND IF I FORGET, MY SON WILL BE
LIKE, YOU DIDN'T BLESS ME.
>> OH.
>> OH.
>> OH. >>
>> OH. >> BUT I'LL USUALLY SAY, BLESS
YOU, BLESS YOU.
>> THAT'S SWEET OF YOU.
>> HE'S THE ONLY GOOD ONE.
>>> BROKEN MIRROR GIVES YOU
SEVEN YEARS OF BAD LUCK.
SURE YOU'VE HEARD OF THIS.
ANCIENT GREECE WOULD LOOK IN
THE MIRROR AND PREDICT THE
FUTURE BY LOOKING AT SOMEONE'S
REFLECTION.
REFLECTION. A DISTORTED REFLECTION MEANT
THEY WERE LIKELY TO DIE.
WHILE A CLEAR REFLECTION MEANT
THEY WERE LIKELY TO LIVE.
THEY INTRODUCED THAT PEOPLE
HAVE SEVEN-YEAR ALTERNATING
CYCLES OF HEALTH AND SICKNESS.
SEVEN YEARS OF ILL HEALTH OR
MISFORTUNE.
MISFORTUNE. OH, LORD.
OH, LORD.
OH, LORD. THEY WERE BORED BACK THEN.
>> THEY REALLY WERE, WEREN'T
THEY?
THEY?
THEY? GRIMENT.
GRIMENT.
GRIMENT. >> THAT IS REALLY GRIM.
>> BUT A BROKEN MIRROR IS HARD
TO COME ACROSS REALLY.
I MEAN, I HAVEN'T SEEN TOO MANY
IN MY DAY.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. BE CAREFUL.
BE CAREFUL. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> I ALWAYS WONDER WHY ME AND
MY BROTHER ARE A LITTLE ODD.
AND MY MOM WOULD OFTEN READ TO
US, LIKE GREEK MYTHOLOGY
BOOKS.
BOOKS.
BOOKS. LIKE WE HAD ALL OF THESE KIND
OF STORIES INTERWOVEN AS
CHILDHOOD STORIES.
CHILDHOOD STORIES. I NEED TO FIND THE BOOK.
BECAUSE I WAS SHOWING THEM TO
MY HUSBAND.
MY HUSBAND. AND HE WAS LIKE, YOU GUYS READ
THOSE AS KIDS?
AND I WAS LIKE, YES.
I DON'T KNOW.
>>> A BLACK CAT CROSSING YOUR
PATH.
PATH.
PATH. WE
PATH. WE ALL KNOW THAT IS UNLUCKY.
BECAUSE THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN
BLACK CATS AND THE
DEVIL WAS SO PREVALENT, PEOPLE
BELIEVED THEY WERE CAUSING THE
BLACK DEATH PANDEMIC AND THEY
EACH TRIED TO KILL THEM AS A
RESULT.
RESULT.
RESULT. IT SPREAD TO AMERICA DURING
SALEM WITCH TRIALS.
>> LOOK AT ALL OF THOSE CUTE
KITTIES.
KITTIES.
KITTIES. I HAD A BLACK KIDDEN WHEN --
KITTEN WHEN I WAS LITTLE.
WHAT WAS YOUR CAT'S NAME?
>> ASHLEY.
>> ASHLEY. WE HAD ALL HUMAN NAMES FOR
PETS.
PETS.
PETS. BUT
PETS. BUT WE HAVE TO BRING HER IN
BECAUSE THERE ARE MEAN KIDS
THAT WILL HURT BLACK CATS ON
HALLOWEEN.
HALLOWEEN. >> POOR ASHLEY.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. KEEP THOSE BLACK CATS
PROTECTED ON THE 31st.
>> GOOD TO KNOW.
>>> WHAT SUPERSTITIONS TO YOU
BELIEVE IN?
BELIEVE IN? DO YOU HAVE A FEW YOU SWEAR
BY?
BY?
BY? WE'LL
BY? WE'LL REVEAL THEM ON
TOMORROW'S