Category
Luck & Superstition
From lucky charms to bad omens. Explore the rituals, beliefs and small precautions people use to tempt good fortune and keep trouble at bay—and discover what history can tell us about their origins.
Why Do People Break a Turkey’s Wishbone to Make a Wish?
Why do people break a turkey’s wishbone? Explore the old merrythought custom, marriage predictions and the uncertain story of its ancient origins.
5 minutes · WELL SUPPORTED — wishbone-breaking customs are documented; a direct ancient Etruscan or Roman origin remains unproven.Why Did Medieval People Have a Calendar of Unlucky Days?
Why did medieval calendars mark some days as dangerous? Explore Egyptian days, forbidden bloodletting and the strange warning about eating goose.
5 min read · WELL SUPPORTED — unlucky-day texts documented; origins and observance variedWhat Is the Evil Eye—and Why Do People Wear a Blue Eye Charm?
What is the evil eye, and why are blue eye charms worn for protection? Explore the ancient belief, the nazar charm and what its history actually supports.
5 min read · WELL SUPPORTED — protective tradition documented; exact origin of the blue charm uncertainWhy Is the Number 13 Considered Unlucky?
Hotels skip it. Some buildings avoid putting it on a floor button. Dinner guests have worried about it. Entire clubs have even been created specifically to prove…
4 min read · DISPUTEDWhy Is Friday the 13th Supposed to Be Unlucky?
Friday can be unlucky.
4 min read · WELL SUPPORTEDWhy Are Black Cats Considered Unlucky?
The answer depends surprisingly heavily on where you grew up.
4 min read · WELL SUPPORTED — but only in some traditionsWhy Does Breaking a Mirror Mean Seven Years of Bad Luck?
Breaking a mirror is annoying enough without being sentenced to seven years of cosmic punishment.
4 min read · DISPUTEDWhy Do We Throw Salt Over Our Shoulder?
Spill the salt.
5 min read · WELL SUPPORTED — exact origin unknownWhy Are Horseshoes Supposed to Be Lucky?
Hang one above a door and it is supposed to keep trouble out.
5 min read · WELL SUPPORTED — exact origin complexWhy Is Walking Under a Ladder Bad Luck?
Most superstitions ask us to believe something invisible.
4 min read · UNKNOWNWhy Do We Cross Our Fingers for Luck?
Job interview tomorrow?
4 min read · DOCUMENTED gesture — UNKNOWN originWhy Is Opening an Umbrella Indoors Considered Bad Luck?
Open an umbrella outside and nobody notices.
4 min read · UNKNOWNWhy Is a Rabbit’s Foot Supposed to Be Lucky?
Of all the objects humans have decided might improve their fortunes, a dried animal foot is one of the stranger choices.
5 min read · WELL SUPPORTED — exact deeper origin complexWhy Do We Knock on Wood?
You have just said something dangerously optimistic.
5 min read · DISPUTED — modern custom documented, exact origin uncertainWhy Is Finding a Penny Lucky?
“Find a penny, pick it up.
6 min read · WELL SUPPORTED custom — exact origin unknown