Friday was my 56th birthday, and for me it was an especially auspicious one because it was the rare birthday of mine that falls on a Friday the 13th — just as my actual birth did in 1970.
I mean, it’s on the 13th every year, just not on a Friday.
Anyway, a friend called to wish me a happy birthday, and wondered how often it had happened? I was surprised to realize I didn’t know, but since we live in an age of miracles and wonders the answer wasn’t far away.
SO! Here’s the list:
- 1970
- 1981
- 1987
- 1992
- 1998
- 2009
- 2015
- 2020
- 2026
A pattern emerges, of course: the gap is 11 years, then 6, then 5, then 6, before going back to 11 and repeating. This means we’ve just passed through the “short” intervals and my next Friday birthday won’t be until 2037, at which point I’ll be 67.
Should I be so lucky, I’ll also have Friday birthdays in 2043 (73), then 5 years later in 2048 (78), and then 6 years later in 2054 (84). And, statistically speaking, that’s likely to be that, but I suppose there’s a nonzero chance that I’ll see a final edition on my 95th birthday in 2065.