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Is Friday the 13th really more common? I counted 400 years to find out

The superstition claims Friday the 13th is unlucky. It turns out it's also, very slightly, the most likely — the 13th lands on a Friday more often than on any other weekday.

  • Friday the 13th appears slightly more often than other weekdays over 400 years.
  • Friday the 13th occurred 688 times in the 400-year cycle.
  • Leap years added an extra week in 71 of the 400 years, affecting the distribution.

Japan aims for the moons of Mars

Japanese scientists are readying a mission to Mars' moons to retrieve samples that may unlock the origins of the solar system and life on Earth, although a rival Chinese mission aims to make it back first.

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