Friggatriskaidekaphobia: Fear of Friday the 13th

EUGENE, Ore. -- Colin McClure said he takes some superstitions to heart, like knocking on wood, especially when he was serving in the Army National Guard.

"When I was in Iraq, we actually carried a piece of wood with us and we taped it in our truck. So we would knock on that every time, with our hanging rabbits foot or whatever else," he explained.

But Xian Woram said perhaps the attention to Friday the 13th is psychological. "You think that things are worse, because of this idea of Friday the 13th," she said.

Lucky charms aside, the number 13 itself can send a shiver down peoples' spines; some high-rises skip the 13th floor entirely. In Eugene, one building reaches exactly that high: Willamette Towers, located at 1313 Lincoln.

But in the elevator, you won't find a button for floor 13, only "P," for "Penthouse."

"I think it's mostly superstition," said Willamette Towers property manager Scottie Essin. "I've never heard of a 13th floor on any building."

So does the tradition curse of Friday the 13th make air travelers weary?

"I just don't believe anything about that," said traveler Ernie Thacker. "Black cats and all that, I love black cats, ladders - walking under a ladder - It's just stupid to do."