Schoenberg Feared Thirteen Until Midnight

Austrian-American composer Arnold Schoenberg had triskaidekaphobia and sometimes replaced the number 13 with 12a in his music. When he turned 76, an astrologer warned him that the year was dangerous because 7 + 6 equals 13. On Friday, July 13, 1951, a sick and anxious Schoenberg remained in bed all day, fearing the date. He died at 11:45 p.m., just 15 minutes before midnight.

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