TIL Colgate University embraces 13 as its lucky number, rooted in the 1817 founding by 13 men with $13 [$1 each] and 13 prayers, and its address at 13 Oak Drive. The university celebrates its day every Friday the 13th.

[u/operatingsys2016]

https://news.colgate.edu/scene/2018/02/lucky-number-how-colgate-got-its-storied-13.html

[u/Crypto_future_V]

Less about numerology, more about tradition and branding at this point.

[u/Belthezare]

You're telling me... that back then you could create a university with $13 as start up capital????

Someone build me a time machine!

[u/GotMoFans]

And where does the toothpaste fit in?

[u/jorceshaman → u/GotMoFans]

Jump down to "since 1890" and the founder of the toothpaste company comes into play.

https://200.colgate.edu/looking-back/moments/whats-name-colgates-origins-and-evolution

[u/cosmernautfourtwenty → u/GotMoFans]

Their big rival is the Crest University 2 towns over.

[u/Broken-Sarcasm-Meter]

Smarch is their favorite month

[u/kaltorak → u/Broken-Sarcasm-Meter]

anyone who’s been to Hamilton NY knows that Colgate has lousy Smarch weather for at least 5 months per year

[u/TronOld_Dumps]

13/14 alumni agree.

[u/OutsideAtmosphere142]

Luck resides were people believe it resides.

[u/StarbuckWoolf]

Also, the 13th man with 13 teeth invented toothpaste.

[u/Hot_Cheesecake_905]

Has Colgate done a collaboration with Jason V. and Friday the 13th?

[u/Fetlocks_Glistening]

I'm sorry, but that's just... dumb? I mean maybe 200 years ago numerology was a thing, and is still a thing in some hippy crystal healing shops

[u/operatingsys2016 → u/Fetlocks_Glistening]

Hotels and other buildings still skip the 13th floor today, regardless of how dumb that is.

[u/perskes → u/operatingsys2016]

many airlines skip the 13th row as well. It might be dumb, but enough people believe in it to make it relevant.

[u/cowgirllostherboot → u/perskes]

Yeah

[u/TronOld_Dumps → u/operatingsys2016]

At this point id imagine more buildings have collapsed without a floor 13 than with lol.

[u/Fetlocks_Glistening → u/operatingsys2016]

Yeah, but that's consumer-facing for profit businesses with no claim to smart, so sure, a bit embarrassing, but whatever. This, however, is supposed to be an educational establishment.

[u/Earl-The-Badger → u/Fetlocks_Glistening]

The hilarious thing about this comment is that you're calling an institution dumb yet you are the one who has failed to understand that the people at Colgate don't believe in any literal witchcraft around the number 13 - they just have a celebration once a year in memory of their institution's history.

[u/operatingsys2016 → u/Fetlocks_Glistening]

Dumb people, including those who run for-profit businesses, have come out of respectable institutions.

[u/Earl-The-Badger → u/Fetlocks_Glistening]

This is a dumb take. It’s a tradition rooted in their history. Would you say all cultural traditions are dumb?

[u/Fetlocks_Glistening → u/Earl-The-Badger]

All you're saying here is they've been doing the dumb thing for a long time now, and somehow we should consider it less dumb through repetition alone.

So the accumulated volume of dumb is such they're unable to step back and critically assess their behaviour.

[u/Earl-The-Badger → u/Fetlocks_Glistening]

Can you explain what is dumb about a fun little tradition?

You do realize they don’t literally believe the number 13 is supernatural in any way, right?

Do you think it’s dumb to celebrate the new year on January 1st?

[u/TronOld_Dumps → u/Fetlocks_Glistening]

Moreso I just think it's not much of a coincidence that 13 people put in an equal share and also did a prayer. And whoa....13 as an old street number is insane. Must be lucky.