 years earlier? Or will the temptation to keep the whole prize overtake him completely? Most people claim to cross their heart and hope to die should they fail to come through on a promise they made. But for two Wisconsin men, a handshake was just as sacred as a contract. But would one of them be able to keep their promise after winning the lottery? In 1992, Wisconsin became one of a handful of states that began the Powerball Lottery Game. For someone like Thomas Cook, who was just an ordinary guy leading an ordinary life, this was an opportunity to earn extra cash. But while the odds were against him, he had an idea to increase his chances of winning. During the Powerball's nascent year, Cook and his friend, Joseph Feeney, had decided to strike a deal. If either one of them were to win the lottery, they would share half of their earnings with the other. They even shook on it, but would they be able to go through with their promise? Cook and Feeney continued to play Powerball for the next 30 years, but neither one of them had ever hit the jackpot. And yet, they kept on playing even though they never actually expected to win. But fate had more faith in them than they did. Cook and Feeney both had to budget their money carefully to be able to afford to set a few dollars aside for lottery tickets every few weeks. Most families know that it isn't always easy to stick to a budget, but both men were able to still buy a ticket or two a few times a year. Winning the Powerball isn't easy since the odds aren't in everyone's favor. But those that do win have to make a decision on how they're going to receive their winnings. Unfortunately, one of them requires paying more taxes. The winner is often given two choices. They can either get their winnings through annuity or by lump sum. With annuity, their winnings would get split over a 29-year period. But with lump sum, they would get all their earnings all at once after taxes are taken out. The lump sum seemed like a better choice for Cook and Feeney, they just never imagined that they would have to make such a decision. 2020 was the year of the pandemic, but that didn't stop Cook from continuing his tradition of playing Powerball. So, in June of that year, he bought a ticket just like he had for 30 years. But this time, the outcome was different. One day, Cook was having his breakfast just like he did every morning. But when he took a look at his ticket and compared the first two numbers, he felt his entire body go cold. Something was happening that was simply too good to be true. Cook was in a daze for several moments, and then he recalled what had led to this life-altering moment. He had walked into Synergy Coop and Monomony, Wisconsin on June 10, 2020 to buy a Powerball ticket, not realizing what was about to happen. When Cook made his typically run inside of the convenience store while filling up his car's tank with gas just a few days prior, he should have stopped to take a look around the store and sort through his feelings that day, because he would soon be left trying to remember the details of that very moment. As he continued to look at his ticket, he realized something that was impossible, so he asked his wife to double check, and she confirmed it. He had won the Powerball, which meant he was a freaking millionaire. Cook had the winning ticket and was destined to take home $22 million, but he was still in a state of shock. In fact, he assumed he was dreaming until the day he went to get his photo taken with the big check. But he couldn't celebrate just yet. Before any congratulations were in order, Cook needed to get something off of his chest first to his wife and family. They knew that he had won a prize of $22 million, but he first had to tell them about the promise that would leave them all with only half of that sum. As far as Cook was concerned, this wasn't just his money. The jackpot belonged to Feeny too. After all, what was their friendship worth if he couldn't keep his promise to him? And that's exactly what he set out to do. So, he gave his friend a ring. When Cook called his friend Feeny, who was a huge fan of fishing, to tell him the good news, Feeny assumed he was pulling his leg. He called me and I said, are you jerking my bobber, said Feeny, according to Powerball. After a while, Feeny realized that Cook was serious, which meant that he was a winner too. But what is friend honor the promise they had made to each other all those years ago, or would he leave him hanging? Now that Feeny's wife had found out about the secret deal from all those years ago, she was suddenly more excited about her husband's friend's lottery win. Knowing that she may get to help her husband spend the money was exciting, but would they even get that chance? Cook was facing a crisis because on one hand, he wanted to keep the money, but on the other, he didn't want to betray his friend. And yet, it's not like he signed a contract or anything. Could he live with himself if he kept all the money for himself? Cook and Feeny never imagined that either one of them would win the Powerball, so when they made the promise to split their money, they were just messing around. But now that Cook had won, they sat down and had a talk. When the media got wind of what was happening, they covered the story. Soon, the whole world was wondering what the two friends would do next. Then Cook and Feeny decided to lump their two earning. And after state and federal taxes, the men received about $5.7 million each. Now that Cook was rich, he decided it was time to retire. So, he gave his notice and quit his job two weeks later. But what about Feeny? Would he follow in his friend's footsteps and enjoy the finer things in life? While Cook was finally able to stop working, Feeny had already retired from the fire department before becoming a joint lottery winner with his friend. Now the two could start enjoying their golden years with their wives. But what was the first thing they spent their money? The men had gone on a road trip with their wives long ago, and they certainly had enough money now to take another road trip. But this time, they wanted some more comfortable wheels to go traveling in. With retirement happily in sights for both men, they bought some camping vehicles to make their trips in style. But there were still members of each of their families that didn't yet know about the men's win, and they would soon have some incredible reactions about it. Each of the men had grown children who were ecstatic for their fathers for winning such a big prize. The fathers vowed to use the money to travel to see their children and grandchildren more than they were used to, so everyone could take part in the fun. Cook and Feeny planned on traveling through Wisconsin and beyond to pay a visit to their kids, grandkids and great-grandkids, and undoubtedly have a large family feast along the way. And the public was very impressed by these two friends and their decision to share their winnings. The public and the director of the Wisconsin State Lottery, Cindy Paulzine, knew how amazing Cook and Feeny's friendship was. The power of friendship and a handshake has paid off. I'm thrilled for them, their lucky day has arrived. She exclaimed. Cook and Feeny had never had the freedom to splurge on things or to go on too many trips and go sightseeing. But that was no longer the case. Thanks to Cook's honesty and loyalty, both he and Feeny would get to enjoy their lives without worrying about financial responsibilities. But they weren't done being generous. On September 9, 2020, the friends posted a message on their Facebook page, Thomas Cook and Joseph Feeny Foundation, that made their followers very happy. Instead of just keeping their money, they decided to give some away to random people. But what did these folks have to do to get the cash? According to the Facebook post, 80 winners would each get $50,000. All you have to do is to like, follow and share our page. Ensure to send us a message to notify us after doing all this, they wrote on their Facebook page. So, while some people are content to keep their earnings, they were happier sharing their wealth. Many lottery winners sadly find that money cannot fix some of the biggest problems in their lives. A woman named IBI Ron Kailoli won $5 million in 1991, and gave a large sum of $2 million of the winnings to her child. But her husband had not known about this child prior to her win, and he ultimately poisoned her. Suzanne Mullins won $4.3 million in a lottery, and opted to utilize the services of a company that would send her payments in advance. Sadly, she ended up owing over $100,000 to this company in fees, falling victim to a scam that cost her a large percentage of her winnings. Lisa Arcan figured out the hard way that winning $1 million won't fund your dreams forever. After her win, Arcan bought a house, went on an expensive vacation, and opened a restaurant. Soon, her restaurant failed and she has since found the win to be very depressing. Kali Rogers, a UK citizen, won $2 million when she was just 16 years old. She soon spent the money on cosmetic surgery and lavish partying, which left her severely depressed and ultimately broke. She now believes that teens shouldn't be eligible to win such large prizes. Lou Eisenborn used his $5 million in winnings to buy a condo in Florida and take some pretty expensive vacations. He opted for a long-term payout, and his final check was cashed in 2001. Since then, he has had to sell his condo, and he now lives in a mobile home at the age of 81. Some lottery winners end up squandering their money more quickly than some may believe to be possible. Evelyn Adams won the New Jersey Lottery twice in 1985 and 1986. She gambled away her entire $5.4 million some in just a few years in Atlantic City. This man won the lottery after he and a few of his co-workers bought a large amount of tickets together. After realizing that he won, Lopez lied to his friends and quit his job, hoping to keep the money for himself. The co-workers soon found out and took him to court to get their share of the prize. Jack Whitaker was already a millionaire when he won $314.9 million. His life was then spent gambling wildly and partaking in controlled substances with his family, some of whom ultimately died from their addictions. He then told reporters that his life was much easier before the win. Another teenage winner, Michael Carroll won a British lottery at the age of just 19. After 10 years he had completely spent the $14 million he won on luxuries and illegal substances. Now, he earns a modest wage of $300 per week at a factory job in England.