In the late-19th century, a New Yorker named Captain William Fowler (1827-1897) sought to remove the enduring stigma surrounding the number 13—and particularly the unwritten rule about not having 13 guests at a dinner table—by founding an exclusive society called the Thirteen Club.
The group dined regularly on the 13th day of the month in room 13 of the Knickerbocker Cottage, a popular watering hole Fowler owned from 1863 to 1883. Before sitting down for a 13-course dinner, members would pass beneath a ladder and a banner reading “Morituri te Salutamus,” Latin for “Those of us who are about to die salute you.”
Four former U.S. presidents would join the Thirteen Club’s ranks at one time or another.
We should celebrate the 12th day of every month as we western cultures consider this number to represent completeness.
Wouldn't it be great to know what's next in American politics at the cross road of democracy - and for it to be a peaceful solution? Looks messy outside this window.
