4. Knights Templar and 1307
On Friday, October 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France initiated a mass arrest of the Knights Templar, a powerful medieval military order. This coordinated action led to the imprisonment and subsequent trials of many Templars, who were charged with heresy and other offenses. The brutal treatment and eventual dissolution of the order have been linked to the superstition surrounding Friday the 13th. However, historical evidence suggests that the superstition predates this event. (nationalgeographic.com)
