The thought of winning a billion dollars is enough to overcome the reality that the chance of matching all six Powerball numbers Wednesday night is about 1 in 292 million.
Those are long odds. Longer than the odds of many things a lot of people think are one-in-a-million occurrences but really aren’t.
Here are 10 things more likely to happen to people than winning the lottery.
Getting struck by lightning in any given year: 1 in 1,190,000, according to the National Weather Service.
Dying after being bitten or struck by a dog: 1 in 103,798, according to the National Safety Council.
Hitting a hole in one for an amateur golfer: 1 in 12,500, according to Golf Digest.
Being attacked by a shark: 1 in 11.5 million, according to the International Shark Attack File.
Being fatally struck by an asteroid or comet falling to Earth: 1 in 75,000, according to a Tulane University study.
Being dealt a royal flush in poker: 1 in 649,740, according to Central Washington University.
A woman giving birth to twins: 33.3 in 1,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dying of a bee, wasp or hornet sting: 1 in 75,852, according to the National Safety Council.
Dying in a plane crash: 1 in 8 million, according to OSHA.
Living to 100 years old in the United States: 1.73 in 10,000, according to the 2010 Census Special Report.
