Believe It or Don't Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ladder

It's considered bad luck in some cultures to walk under a ladder. The Holy Trinity theory is that a ladder leaning up against a wall forms a triangle, and it would be bad luck to disturb that holy shape. But it also seems rather dangerous. The picture on the left is similar to what you can make out of string, including a form called "Jacob's Ladder."

Answer: Black cat

In Europe and the United States, a black cat crossing your path is considered bad luck. Interestingly, that same cat crossing your path in Japan would be considered good luck. For many years, black cats were reportedly not adopted from shelters at the same rate as their lighter-colored friends, but studies from the ASPCA (2016) have debunked that, saying that there are simply more black cats in the population as a whole.

Answer: Rabbit foot

At one point, a disembodied rabbit's foot was a good luck charm. Carrying around an animal bone for good fortune can be found in cultures across the world and ages; rabbits, with their abilities to reproduce quickly, have been considered symbols of fertility, and thus considered good luck for people hoping to conceive. I would prefer to carry a lucky penny, I think.

The photo on the left is of the now-defunct Rabbit model from Volkswagen.

Answer: Mirror

The superstition of a broken mirror bringing about bad luck is found in cultures worldwide. One origin story is that mirrors were considered extensions of our souls, so you're essentially breaking your soul when you break a mirror. A Roman variation added the seven years piece, proffering that it takes seven years for a body to be completely renewed. Regardless, be careful -- those shards are sharp!

Answer: 666

In the Bible's Book of Revelations, the number 666 is considered the Mark of the Beast, or the Number of the Beast, the beast in this case being the devil or a false prophet. Mathematicians may point out that 666 is the sum of the first 36 natural numbers.

It's also the sum of all the numbers on a standard roulette wheel. The picture on the left indicates the number six, with six giraffes.

Answer: Salt

Spilling salt is apparently bad luck, unless you negate it by tossing some over your shoulder immediately after. Over your left shoulder, specifically. Some say the superstition comes from the painting of "The Last Supper," where the traitor Judas has knocked over the salt cellar.

Another hypothesis is that the act of spilling salt brings the devil to your side, and tossing salt over your shoulder blinds him. The picture on the left provides a close-up view of salt crystals.

Answer: Umbrella

Opening an umbrella indoors apparently insults the sun gods and will induce them to rain bad luck down on you. Overall, though, it doesn't seem like a safe or very polite thing to do inside someone's home.

Answer: Wishbone

The furcula, a bird's fused clavicles, is referred to as the wishbone. Traditionally, one child holds one side of the upside-V-shaped bone, and a second child holds the other side. They children each make a wish -- which they usually keep to themselves -- and then pull until the wishbone breaks.

The child whose side is larger will have his or her wish granted, as the tradition goes. The tradition is actually much older than than Thanksgiving; archeologists have traced a variation of the wishbone tradition as far back as the Etruscans, who were conquered by the Romans in 264 BC.

The shadow shape on the left resembles a giant version of the wishbone.

Answer: Three on a match

"Three on a match" refers to the superstition of it being bad luck to have three cigarettes lit from one match. One possible source is from soldiers lighting up at night: the first light gives away their location, the second light gives the enemy a target, and the third coincides with the enemy fire.

It's been referred to in many forms since it first appeared after WWI. One recent reference was in Season One of the AMC television series "Mad Men," in which ad-man Don Draper praises the creator for finding a way to sell more matchbooks.

The three flowers on the left stand for three on a tree.

Answer: Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in many cultures that use the Gregorian calendar. It could be related to the Bible, or a bloody day in medieval France. This is such a common fear there is even a name for it: "triskaidekaphobia" is fear of the number 13 and the fear of Friday the 13th is "paraskevidekatriaphobia." Regardless, it's here to stay. Friday the 13th happens from one to three times each year.