How about a string of bad luck?
After years of research and experimentation, Dr. Odd managed to isolate the chemical compound which was responsible for luck.He tried to bottle the stuff and sell it over the counter, but he kept running into all sorts of problems in production and distribution.
The Food and Drug Administration sprung a surprise inspection of his facilities and ultimately shut his labs down for a wide variety of violations.
"This is concentrated Bad Luck!" moaned Dr. Odd.
The Pentagon was very interested in a weaponized form of Bad Luck, so Dr. Odd shipped them a sample...
Back on September 10, 2001.