110 people were selected at once
In January 2024, the morning after the Powerball lottery results were announced. A phone rang in the Lottery Bureau office.
There are ……110 second-prize winners. The person in charge of the lottery couldn’t help but ask, “How many people have won the second prize? Normally, there are only a few second-prize winners. But there were 110. Moreover, all of them had chosen exactly the same numbers in the same order. This mathematically impossible situation prompted us to immediately send a request to the FBI for an investigation. What in the world had happened to these 110 people?
improbable probability
The numbers on the computer screen were all the same: 10, 13, 14, 22, and 52, the winning numbers for second prize. The odds of so many second-prize winners in a single Powerball drawing were astronomical. Nate was convinced that this was no coincidence. Nate was sure of it, but the truth was far beyond his imagination.
Fraud or miracle?
The next morning, Nate reported to his boss, Director Diane Foster. All 110 of them had something in common. But it was not – was not – evidence of fraud.” Diane raised an eyebrow. What do you mean, Coleman? . Diane’s expression hardened when she saw what Nate had placed on the table. There was a small white piece of paper.
unprecedented situation
On March 30, 2024, when the results of the Powerball drawing were announced, something unusual happened to the National Lottery Administration’s system: the number of second-prize winners was showing 110 instead of the usual few. Laura Cheng, a lottery employee, involuntarily looked away from the screen when she saw the same result over and over again. This is absolutely ridiculous,” she said.
Mathematically impossible
Statistician Professor Brian Mackenzie immediately made an estimate: the odds of winning the first prize were about 1 in 300 million; the odds of winning the second prize were also several million to one. But the results on this day far exceeded those odds. The probability of this happening naturally is zero,” Brian said at the press conference. The probability of this happening naturally is zero,” Brian declared at the press conference. This is definitely a case of human intervention.
Allegations of the Lottery Management Bureau
Scott Harris, director of the Lottery Operations Bureau, immediately set up a response team. Based on the view that “it is highly likely that a huge fraud ring manipulated the numbers,” an FBI investigation was requested. Payments to winners were temporarily frozen. The next day, television stations reported the story on their top stories, and the entire United States was in an uproar over the “biggest lottery fraud scandal in history.
FBI intervention
Nate Coleman of the FBI’s Economic Crimes Unit was assigned to the task. His team began by compiling a list of all 110 winners and began researching each person’s background. The winners’ addresses were scattered across 32 states, their ages ranged from 18 to 79, and their occupations and ethnicities varied widely. Nate knew intuitively that if there was a fraud ring that could unite such a diverse group, it would be substantial. Nate had a gut feeling.
contact zero
After a week of research, Nate’s team concluded that there was no connection between the winners. No matter where they looked – phone records, emails, social networking sites, bank accounts – they found no evidence of an organizational connection between the 110 people. How could they have chosen the same numbers?” Julia Santos, a member of the team, pondered. The investigation was at a complete standstill.
Matt’s testimony
The turning point came from an interview with winner Matt Walker of Columbus, Ohio. When asked, “How did you pick that number?” Matt answered shyly, “I actually wrote the number on the fortune cookie. I actually wrote the number right off of the …… fortune cookie. It seemed like a good omen somehow. Something clicked in Nate’s head.
Shadow of a fortune cookie
Fortune cookies?” Nate immediately directed us to ask the other winners. One after another, the same answer came back: “I used the number from a cookie I got at a Chinese restaurant. Out of 110 people, 97 gave the same answer. But why did people all over the U.S. have the same cookie number?
Identification of the manufacturing company
The process of identifying the maker of the fortune cookies began. Nate’s team identified the Chinese restaurants that the winners had visited, one by one. After examining restaurants in 32 states scattered across the country – New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Texas, and Florida – one common thread emerged: the logo printed on the cookie bag. The logos printed on the cookie bags. They were all made by the same manufacturer.
Welsh Fortune, Inc.
The cookies were manufactured by the Welsh Fortune Company in Trenton, New Jersey, an established manufacturer since 1952 that distributed its products to more than 4,000 Chinese restaurants throughout the United States. When Nate visited to check out the production line, he was met by Beth Campbell, the plant manager. The message inside the cookie changes randomly each month,” she explained.
Lots in March 2024
I need to see the lucky numbers of the lots you shipped in March 2024.’ At Nate’s request, Beth opened the warehouse database. The moment she saw the data displayed on the monitor, her complexion changed: “10, 13, 14, 22, 52” were printed in the “lucky number column” for the March shipment. The numbers printed in the “lucky number column” for the March shipment were “10, 13, 14, 22, and 52,” exactly the same as the winning number of the second prize of the Powerball.
Why that number?
Why this number?” Nate inquired, and Beth answered in a trembling voice. ‘Every month the person in charge of the numbers picks one at random; the one who was in charge of March was …….’ She opened the file and found the name of one employee. Grace Liu, 68. A 30-year veteran of the company, she was in charge of selecting the lucky number for the first time that month. How in the world did Grace choose that number?
Grace’s room
Nate went to Grace Liu’s desk and found a small picture frame there. Inside was an old photograph. It showed her as a young woman and her late husband, Henry, smiling. These are the dates of my husband’s birthday and our wedding anniversary,” Grace said quietly. Grace spoke quietly. She had lost her husband of 30 years that month to illness.
A moment of coincidence
From the day Grace made the cookies until they were delivered to Chinese restaurants across the United States, no one had any idea that the numbers would be used for the lottery. One woman’s quiet grief created numbers that unwittingly changed the lives of 110 people. This was no scam.” Nate quietly closed his notebook. But he still did not know how to tell the world about it.
Report to Diane
FBI Director Diane maintained a long silence as she finished reading Nate’s report. ‘So it’s not a scam–‘ Nate replied, ‘it’s a coincidence. One woman’s grief generated numbers that were printed on cookies all over the country that matched winning lottery numbers. That’s all there is to it.” Diane looked out the window and said quietly, “Coleman, this is an official announcement. ‘Coleman, can we make this official?
The world doubts it.
When the conclusion that the FBI investigation was over and that there was “no fraud” was announced, reactions around the world were split down the middle. Some said, “This is impossible,” or “There is something behind this,” while others were moved to believe that this was a true miracle. Lottery officials officially approved the payment to 110 winners, but the media coverage did not abate, and the demand for the truth grew louder and louder.
Rush to Grace
Once the facts were reported, Grace Liu was contacted from all over the world. One of the winners, Sarah Mitchell of Texas, wrote directly to Grace. ‘Your love for my husband has changed my life. I hope you will allow us to use a portion of the prize money to benefit a charity in your husband’s name.” Grace wept silently as she read the letter.
Henry’s numbers
Grace made her first public appearance at a press conference. Her husband Henry always told me, ‘Hold on to your precious numbers. “My husband Henry always told me, ‘Hold on to your precious numbers, because one day they will bring someone else good luck. Keep the numbers that are important to you, because one day they will bring someone else good luck. The room was silent. I just didn’t want to forget him. I never dreamed that this would happen. As he spoke, tears were wiped away here and there in the audience.
Defeat of Probability Theory
Mathematicians and statisticians from around the world analyzed this event. Their conclusion was, “It’s probabilistically impossible, but it happened.” Eric Thompson, a professor at Columbia University, said, “Mathematics can predict a lot of things. Mathematics can predict many things. But the coincidence of human emotion is the only thing that does not fit into any equation. These words were spread around the world and stuck in the minds of many.
110 Voices
Of the 110 winners, many pledged to donate a portion of their winnings. The recipients varied from hospitals to schools to food banks, but all said in unison that they wanted to leave the name of Grace’s husband, Henry, behind. 110 strangers were connected through a single piece of cookie paper. Perhaps this is what the most beautiful coincidence in life is all about.
Cookie Philosophy
Philosopher James Morrison wrote of this event in his book. A fortune cookie is something that asks us a question. Whether we believe the words in them or not is up to us. But what Grace’s story teaches us is that love can dwell in chance.” This text will be published in high school textbooks in the United States.
Welsh Fortune Now
Orders for Welsh Fortune, Inc. swelled more than tenfold after the incident. People all over the U.S. began to believe that their fortune cookies might have miracles in them. Beth said. We’ll be talking about Grace internally for a long time. She showed us that there is great love in small numbers.
Henry’s legacy.
The Henry Liu Memorial Fund was established at the hospital in New Jersey where Grace’s husband Henry worked as a physician before his death. The fund, which was built with donations from winners, was designed to help low-income patients with their medical expenses. At the dedication ceremony, Grace said, “As a doctor, Henry has helped someone all his life. Henry was a doctor who helped people all his life. I think he would have been happy to see his name remain like this.
Powerball Changes
This event prompted the Powerball administration to launch a “cookie buyer’s discount” campaign in response to the increased attention to fortune cookies. Ironically, Powerball sales that year were up 40% over the previous year. People all over the U.S. could be seen writing down fortune cookie numbers in Chinese restaurants.
Quiet Grace
Even after the international attention, Grace continued to work at the Welsh Fortune factory. I didn’t know what else to do,” she said with a laugh. Each month, when choosing a number to put in her cookies, Grace made sure to include one memorable date with Henry. She continued to put her love into the little slips of paper.
Gift from Sarah
Sarah Mitchell of Texas opened a small cafe with her winnings. The name of the restaurant was Fortune. The menu was always accompanied by homemade fortune cookies. Written on a piece of paper inside was a phrase she cherished: “Coincidence is love transformed into form. This phrase soon spread across the United States and became a standard phrase for fortune cookies.
Nate’s Monologue
Nate Coleman, the FBI agent in charge of the investigation, later wrote in his memoirs. What that case taught me is that some human behavior can’t be explained by mathematics. Grace’s choice of that number was no accident. It was love. And it is no coincidence that that love was conveyed to 110 people.” He retired from the FBI the following year to spend more time with his wife and son.
What the little paper carried
A little piece of paper in a fortune cookie taught me that human love can spread in ways beyond imagination. Grace wrote a number thinking of her husband. That number changed the lives of 110 strangers. The goodwill of those 110 people saved someone’s life all over the world. A small chain of love continues somewhere today.
*This story is a work of fiction. All characters and events are fictitious and have no relation to real people or events. Photographs are for illustrative purposes only.
