No one gets anywhere without a bit of luck. Sure, you have to work hard to achieve your goals, but where’s the harm in wishing on a candle every now and again?

When Lucille Ball became famous, she thanked her lucky stars that she was living in New York in the 1930s. According to the actor, her big move to Hollywood wasn’t prompted by any big decisions - it was simply because she was noticed by a stranger on the street.

“I seldom use the word luck, but in 1933, when I became a Goldwyn girl, that was pure luck,” said Ball during an interview with Rolling Stone. I was just walking down the street. It was unbearably hot, and someone - I don’t remember exactly who - came up to me and said, ‘How’d you like to go to California?’ This was New York, so you had to be careful when anyone asked you anything, but this was a woman asking me, so I figured I was safe. She told me that the girl they had already found for Goldwyn couldn’t make the trip...”

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Ball worked as a Goldwyn girl. She and the other performers frequently appeared in films as background dancers and chorus lines. “They said the job was for six weeks,” said Ball. “I said, ‘I’d go anyplace to get out of this head.’ I went to Hollywood and I never came back.”

Of course, Ball wouldn’t remain a Goldwyn girl for long. She became a star of both film and television, and a titan in the entertainment industry, proving that a bit of luck can take you anywhere as long as you’re brave enough to ask for it.