That call set in motion a series of events that on Wednesday turned three college pals into key figures in one of the largest terrorist investigations ever on U.S. soil.

NPR: Texts, TV, Then Trouble For Bombing Suspect's Pals

And he said something else here that was intriguing: he said he regretted returning to cycling in 2009, suggesting it had possibly set into motion the chain of events that led him to his professional humiliation, a lifetime ban from competition and the hot light of this hotel suite.

WSJ: Lance Armstrong Begins His End��Jason Gay

Before long, the Vietnam War proved what those movies predicted, that some events are larger than the power of Presidents who set them in motion.

CNN: All The Presidents' Movies

But when he prepared for a medical flight in August of 2011 -- while simultaneously engaging in a private text conversation -- he set into motion events that led to the deaths of four people, including himself.

CNN: Pilot texting a factor in deadly copter crash