Luck is always a part of it, but only a part. I mean whose to say whether or not the person who could have been the next great information innovator is currently dying of malnutrition somewhere in Angola, never having heard of a computer? But only, if only, they could have gotten away from that, too damn bad.
But luck only takes you so far. The fabulously wealthy are usually people with great talent who lucked into finding a platform to voice their talent (like the Ted Williams example you posted, or even with someone with a more acquired skill like Zuckerburg, lucking his way into having a rich friend who could help finance the whole thing)
If the universe wants to screw you out of glory, it's going to, and no amount of hard work or determination will fix that, but the key part is never giving up, always waiting for the day when that window of opportunity will open, however so brief, and then you and your special skills or hard-won talents will be there.
Monster Hunter: pissing me off since 2010.
