TIL Voltaire had enough money to sit around and think all day because he noticed a flaw in the national lottery which he exploited to win half a million livre, worth as much as $120 million today by some measures

Smithsonian Magazine

Voltaire: Enlightenment Philosopher and Lottery Scammer

The French government was trying to raise money by running a bond lottery, but a group of intellectuals had other ideas

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1qcih2h/til_voltaire_had_enough_money_to_sit_around_and/