"The plane was in a terrible state when we first saw it, " he said.

CNN: Airplane hostel prepares for lift-off

When the November jobs report was released in early December it was terrible, showing that only 39, 000 jobs were created. (The economy needs approximately 150, 000 new jobs monthly just to keep up with the growing population).

FORBES: Jobs Report Be Damned, Economy Chugs Higher

"The Gulf of Mexico explosion was a terrible tragedy for which--as the man in charge of BP when it happened--I will always feel a deep responsibility, regardless of where blame is ultimately found to lie, " Hayward said.

FORBES: Earnings Season

Though this might seem a terrible toll, it was a trifling price for a critical strategic breakthrough, the last moment of the war when Hitler might credibly have stemmed the tide in the West.

WSJ: Book Review: The Guns at Last Light

"I warned Number 10 within days of the election that they would suffer terrible damage if they did not get rid of Coulson, when these things came out, as it was inevitable they would, " he said.

BBC: Phone hacking probe: NoW goes into print for last time