If you sifted through the 14 million headlines these past few weeks about Facebook's IPO, which bogged readers down with terms like 'S-1 filing' and 'non-advertising revenue,' there's a chance you might have caught one of the wildest stories this decade. Tasked with painting the social network's original offices back in 2005, graffiti artist David Choe (pictured) was offered a few thousand bucks in cash or Facebook stock in return for his work. Choe chose the stock, which will be valued at some $200 million when Facebook goes public this spring.
To call Choe's haul accidental is a bit unfair — he showed foresight in his choice, despite reportedly calling Facebook 'ridiculous and pointless' at the time — but come on: that is some break. Remarkably, though, the world's highest-paid graffiti artist isn't the only person to stumble into riches. In honour of Choe's stratospheric payday, MSN runs down other unbelievable tales of accidental fortunes — from a Brit who discovered Roman treasure in his yard to an American who found the Declaration of Independence at a local flea market.
* All figures in USD.
