"Hey, that Japan Air may know it but they have fuel spewing out the leftward wing quite a bit, " the pilot of another plane told the control tower, which radioed the JAL crew and halted takeoff.

CNN: Airline: Dreamliner fuel leak due to an open valve

It is a bit like learning the safety instructions on a plane before take-off: you hope you will never need them, but you know it would be unwise to miss the lesson.

ECONOMIST: Idea

Given his past behaviour, there was a suspicion that he might fly into London, feel a bit funny and get straight back on the next plane home.

BBC: Michael Jackson: Still King of Pop?

At the moment the first plane hit, I had just finished doing a bit of color commentary on some eminently forgettable technology news for a Boston business station on AM radio.

FORBES: The Quieter Side Of 9/11

But it's still early days and Feringa says he feels a bit like the Wright Brothers, likening the nano car to their "fairly awkward-looking primitive plane" when compared to the passenger jets of today.

CNN: World's smallest car fuels nanotech advance

Each time I boarded the plane to New York City for meetings, I would subconsciously tone down the southern twang, walk a bit faster and wear more black.

FORBES: Speak American