As the Mega Millions jackpot last week grew to an inconceivable $656 million, one hopeful lottery ticket buyer experienced something that will cause arguments for weeks to come among pedants as to whether it actually constitutes irony.
Cash-strapped and just generally dreaming Americans queued up for hours and drove across state lines for a chance at the jackpot that ultimately topped $650 million- and as Mega Millions fever gripped several states, math huggers smugly trumpeted the fact that there were several occurrences more likely than winning the world’s largest-ever lottery jackpot.
In fact, we did such a piece during the frenzied buildup to the massive Mega Millions win. While you may have a list of things you’d buy if you hit the jackpot, have you also planned your outfit for your dream date with Adriana Lima? Purchased an inflatable carry-on raft for your plane trip next month? Stocked up on epi-pens in case of a fatal bee sting? Because being struck by lightning, dying in a plane crash and even dating a supermodel are all more likely occurrences statistically than being a Mega Millions winner .
In fact, one Wichita man was unlucky enough to not only buy tickets and not win, but also get struck by lightning just after buying the tickets. Bill Isles threw in a couple of bucks for a chance at the Mega Millions pot Thursday, and the same night, Isles was jolted from above during some inclement weather. Isles tells local news that the lightning strike caused some lingering issues:
“They say I will have some things with my memory that may bother me for a while. But I wasn’t burned. I had a little bit of an irregular heart beat.”
It almost seems like a cosmic joke, like Isles would have to win at least something after invoking the commonly referred-to statistical trope. But alas, he was as unlucky as the rest of us in Friday night’s massive $656 million Mega Millions drawing.
