In response to my essay about Friday the Thirteenth, a pagan/Wiccan blogger wrote a post elaborating her opinion on the number 13. She writes that 13 is a very special number according to her belief because Pagans have a strong connection to the moon and the moon goes through 13 lunar cycles a lunar year (see also this link that she gave). The Jewish calendar is also lunar, and although it contains 12 months most years, in leap years there are 13 months in the Jewish calendar. On 19 Tishrei, 5343 (15 Octboer, 1582), exactly 424 years ago on this day, the Catholic Church, under the leadership of Pope Gregory XIII, introduced the Gregorian calendar, which is still in use presently in the secular and Christian world. Happy 424th anniversary!