Ah sweet, mysterious luck. Such a cruel and occasionally rewarding mistress. Sometimes it’s on your side and you’re flying high, turning everything you touch into gold, but when that luck turns on you, boy will you know about it.
no matter how unlucky you feel, this lot have had it much worse
The people in this list below have had way more than their fair share of bad luck in life. But at least they all survived with thier lives intact… just about. Sit back in your chair and breathe a big sigh of relief that no matter how unlucky you feel, this lot have had it much worse.
From missing out on millions in lottery winnings to being hit by lightening various times, we present the five unluckiest people to ever walk this Earth.
5. The dude who couldn’t pronounce Achilles
Imagine making it to the $1m phrase on The Wheel of Fortune gameshow and losing, not because you got the answer wrong, but because you couldn’t pronounce the answer properly.
That’s exactly what happened to student and cursed contestant, Julian Batts.
When Julian went on the show, he never thought he’d even make it to the $1m phrase. That’s sensible because there’s been a lot of controversy about how rarely anyone even lands on the million dollar wedge.
Having beaten the odds to get to million dollar question, Julian was put on the spot with a phrase related to a Greek mythological hero. He answered Achilles but pronounced it A-chill-us.
The presenter then passed the phrase over to another cheerful looking contestant, who said it right. Boom, Julian’s $1m vanished.
Not so chill now, are you Juilian?!
4. The couple who kept being in terrorist attacks
Next up, Jason and Jenny Cairns-Lawrence, the loved-up couple who have somehow managed to find themselves at the center of almost every one of the worst terrorist attacks of the last 20 years.
a romantic getaway in New York on September 11th 2001
First of all, they were on a romantic getaway in New York on September 11th 2001 and saw the World Trade Center collapsing.
Fast forward four years and Mr and Mrs Cairns-Lawrence are enjoying a city break in London. On the very same day that they’re taking in the sights, the 7/7 London bombings happen. 52 people are killed as explosive devices detonate across public transport.
Having witnessed two of the 21st century’s most deadly terror attacks, you’d think maybe they’d just stop traveling around so much. But no.
In 2009, the cursed couple jetted off to Mumbai, India for a taste of the east. Halfway through their stay a group of armed terrorists stormed local buildings and killed 164 people, wounding hundreds of others.
These horrific acts of violence obviously shook the world. While some people say the Cairns-Lawrences are the unluckiest couple ever, due to witnessing so many terror attacks, it’s worth pointing out that perhaps they are actually incredibly lucky. Afterall, they made it out of every attack alive.
3. The couple who lost a £3m lottery win
Martyn and Kay Tott were sitting at home in Watford, UK while watching the evening news when a story came on about the lottery. The report said that someone had won a £3m lottery jackpot but unfortunately it had been left unclaimed.
Martyn and Kay had been picking the same lottery numbers for the last year, so they knew as soon as they saw the news that they had the winning numbers. There was one small problem – they couldn’t find their actual ticket.
The lottery operator Camelot then completely crushed their dreams
The couple didn’t worry too much though. They knew there was a computer record proving that they had bought the ticket. The lottery operator Camelot then completely crushed their dreams.
According to the lottery’s terms and conditions, players only have 30 days after a draw to report a lost ticket. The Tott’s had missed the deadline.
The couple’s bad luck later became a headline story in Britain, as Mr and Mrs Tott launched a five-year court case against the lottery operator.
To add insult to injury, Martyn and Kay then divorced.
2. The one person in the village who missed out on a $950m lottery win
Costis Mitsotakis experienced what has to be the world’s worst FOMO when his entire village won a giant jackpot but he didn’t get a cent. That’s because the ticket sellers forgot to knock his door.
Wow, his name might be Costis Mitsotakis but maybe Costly Mistake would be more appropriate.
No Spanish Christmas is complete without everyone in the family buying at least one ticket to the annual super jackpot lottery, El Gordo. In rural areas of Spain it’s common for villages to pool together their money and buy a stack of tickets, then divide the winnings.
You’ve got to be in it to win it though and unfortunately for Costis, his was the only house in the whole village where no one came to ask if he wanted in.
The village won a total of $950m. While his neighbours built pools and bought expensive cars with their winnings, Costis was left looking on in rage.
1. The man who was struck by lightning seven times
The old saying that lightning never strikes twice was debunked by myth busters decades ago but before that, there was man who proved the saying wrong. Very wrong.
Roy Sullivan was struck by lightning on 7 different occasions. Although, admittedly never twice in the same storm.
Sullivan worked as a park ranger in Shenandoah National Park in the US state of Virginia. Here’s a strike by strike rundown of this poor man’s life:
Strike 2: Happily driving down the side of a mountain, Sullivan’s car was hit by a bolt of lightning.
Strike 3: During a day off, Sullivan decided to enjoy some fishing in one of the park’s several lakes. Guess what happened? Yep, struck by lightning.
Strike 4: Sullivan was busy sorting papers inside the park ranger’s office and the building was hit by lightning.
Strike 5: While patrolling in the park, Sullivan was struck by a lightning bolt to his ankle.
Strike 6: Sullivan was in the garden at home, thinking he’d be safe but no, the lightning found him and struck him again.
Strike 7: The final lightning strike just made it seem like the sky really hated Sullivan. He said at the time that the storm clouds followed him as he ran off before a lightning bolt hit him.
Sullivan committed suicide at 71 and it’s believed it was not related to being tormented by vicious weather his entire life.
So far, his grave hasn’t been struck by lightning…
