A 63-year-old Italian born American, living on the outskirts of New York, remained unemployed for eight years. Although he was a skilled carpenter, he remained unemployed for eight years and had to make out an existence on a modest union pension. He had not even enough resources to reap the tomato crop in the land he owned next to his house.
One day he decided to buy a lottery ticket. To his surprise, on 27th July 1984, the news of his having bagged the first prize of twenty million dollars was broken to him—the biggest lottery prize ever to have been received by any single person anywhere in the world.
The news was first announced over television. Immediately afterwards a press conference was called. Talking to newsmen, the carpenter told them that he was astonished to hear the news. He said, “I kept on checking my number with the one that was being announced.” Even then he could not quite believe that it was he who had won the prize. While talking to newsmen he said, “I got whatever I need. I got my house. I got my tomatoes.”
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