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Is April 13-20th the Worst time in History


cuchip703

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Would it be considered raining on the parade to note that statistically, one in every 52 horrible events will occur in any given week, and that since there have been lots of awful and evil events in human history, one would expect a large number to occur between April 13 and April 20?

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Would it be considered raining on the parade to note that statistically, one in every 52 horrible events will occur in any given week, and that since there have been lots of awful and evil events in human history, one would expect a large number to occur between April 13 and April 20?

why, yes, it would. but i would like to ask you to come up with a week in history that seems to have as many tragedies occur as the week posted.

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why, yes, it would. but i would like to ask you to come up with a week in history that seems to have as many tragedies occur as the week posted.

I'm not morbid enough to take you up on your challenge, but I will note that in order to actually establish such a proposition, one would need to take a representative sampling of every week and do a comparison, rather than listing a few tragedies and saying "ooh." Of course, I'm fully aware that this is no fun. :)

I doubt, though, that this is why T.S. Eliot wrote that "April is the cruelest month"... ;)

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Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14th, 1865. That's actually pretty creepy that all those events happened the same week in history.

He actually died on the 15th - same thing with the Titanic, hit the iceberg on April 14th, sunk on the 15th. It's also my mom's birthday. :)

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As penance for my attempting to bring down this thread by pointing out that this is totally unscientific and a classic case of selection bias (remembering all the april 13-20 tragedies, forgetting all the others), I offer this observation:

Studying psychology, I learned that the rate of suicide for depressed individuals can actually increase after placing them on medication. This is because one of the effects of depression is lethargy, and the start of the medication can lift a person up just enough to have enough energy to finally put a suicide plan into action.

I further learned that Seasonal Affective Disorder can cause depression in individuals who don't get enough sunlight.

April is a month in which generally the days are getting warmer and longer.

Putting this all together, maybe crazy people (another technical term ;)) are too depressed during the winter to do anything, and get enough energy during April...

P.S. I still think it's selection bias. ;)

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As penance for my attempting to bring down this thread by pointing out that this is totally unscientific and a classic case of selection bias (remembering all the april 13-20 tragedies, forgetting all the others), I offer this observation:

Studying psychology, I learned that the rate of suicide for depressed individuals can actually increase after placing them on medication. This is because one of the effects of depression is lethargy, and the start of the medication can lift a person up just enough to have enough energy to finally put a suicide plan into action.

I further learned that Seasonal Affective Disorder can cause depression in individuals who don't get enough sunlight.

April is a month in which generally the days are getting warmer and longer.

Putting this all together, maybe crazy people (another technical term ;)) are too depressed during the winter to do anything, and get enough energy during April...

P.S. I still think it's selection bias. ;)

That works for only half the planet. It's the oppsite in the southern hemisphere. ;)

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I'm not morbid enough to take you up on your challenge, but I will note that in order to actually establish such a proposition, one would need to take a representative sampling of every week and do a comparison, rather than listing a few tragedies and saying "ooh." Of course, I'm fully aware that this is no fun. :)

I doubt, though, that this is why T.S. Eliot wrote that "April is the cruelest month"... ;)

maybe it's cyclical. but a lot of horrific events, not natural disasters, but actions of man, have happened in the last century or so during this week. particularly the last decade and a half or so.

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  • 3 years later...
bump...but only because this lady stole my thunder...not that there really was much of any.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/04/19/april.attacks.conspiracy/index.html

Well, it's an old thread, but to poke a hole in the OP, didn't Tim McVeigh state that he timed the OKC bombings to coincide with the WACO anniversary? So yeah, the week gets another black mark, but come on. Adn the Columbine kids also timed their massacre to be near the events; they had mentioned it in their videos. It's just a week that gets a bad rap, made worse by new idiots celebrating anniversaries.

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Given I just spent last Friday, the single worst day I and many others have each year, at a memorial service for the 22nd straight year remembering 96 "friends" who never returned home from a soccer game when somehow I did; in the only human caused, "natural" disaster in history that still to this day nobody has been held accountable for (Gota' love British "Justice"); I'm inclined to agree.

Hail.

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My birthday is today, and there have been good things and bad things on 4/19. As mentioned, Waco happened, then McVeigh "celebrated" that anniversary with the Oklahoma City bombing. And the Columbine kids originally meant to do the deed on the 19th as well, but had to wait an extra day (I forget why).

On the other hand, the start of the Revolutionary War was 4/19, with the battles of Lexington and Concord. And Maria Sharapova, Kate Hudson and Ashley Judd were all born on 4/19 too, so it can't be TOO bad... ;)

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April 20th is view as a good day since not only is it my brothers birthday, It is also Chronic awareness, smoking tree for no rational reason day.

420

There will be alot of consuming of Cheetos, Utz and Ruffles potato chips as well as a rise in cheeseburger stock today. :D:rolleyes:

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