Remorseful Retrospect: 50 Stories of Profound Regret

The Back to the Future producers regretted ending the first film with Jennifer in the car because it required them to come up with a story that fit her rather than a whole new adventure.

27. The role of Jafar in Disney's Aladdin was originally offered to Patrick Stewart, but he had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts. Stewart later said he regretted not taking the part.

28. Albert Einstein originally wrote a letter to FDR, warning him that the US would lose the nuclear arms race to Germany. Years later, he admitted that he regretted signing that letter-the letter that apparently caused the nuclear arms race itself.

29. After Ben Franklin lost his 4-year-old son to smallpox, he became an advocate for inoculation and stated in his autobiography, "I long regretted bitterly and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation."

30. The Pietà sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti was the only work he ever signed. He only did it after hearing someone claim the sculpture was theirs. He later regretted his outburst of pride and swore never to sign another work of his hands again.

Desperado, the song by the Eagles, was recorded in London with musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The large orchestra intimidated the lead vocalist Don Henley, who later expressed regret that he did not sing as well as he could.

32. John Travolta was originally asked to star in the movie "Forrest Gump" but turned it down. He later regretted his decision.

33. In 1980, Larry Holmes defeated Muhammad Ali in a title bout. Holmes seemed to show signs of regret for punishing Ali so much during the fight. Holmes appeared in a post-fight interview with tears in his eyes as he was asked why he was crying, replying that he respected Ali "a whole lot."

34. J.K. Rowling initially allowed the American version of Harry Potter to say "mom." A lot of other words were also 'lost in translation,' e.g., crumpet became muffin. She later regretted this change, and all future editions of Harry Potter used the original British words instead.

35. On the last day of his presidency, President Andrew Jackson admitted that he had but two regrets: that he "had been unable to shoot Henry Clay or hang John C. Calhoun."

Before the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, a B29 weather reconnaissance plane called Straight Flush flew over the city to determine if conditions were favorable. Its pilot, Claude Eatherly, later expressed remorse, underwent psychiatric hospitalization, and became involved in anti-nuclear activism.

37. The photographer (Eddie Adams) of the South Vietnamese officer (Nguyen Ngoc Loan) executing the North Vietnamese man in front of him regretted ever publishing the picture and refused to testify against him when Nguyen was brought to trial on charges of committing a war crime. The guy he killed, Nguy?n V?n Lém, was alleged to have just cut the throats of South Vietnamese Lt. Col. Nguyen Tuan, his wife, their six children, and the officer's 80-year-old mother.

38. After seeing Hitler and other dictators abuse loudspeakers to spread propaganda, Peter Laurids Jensen regretted inventing the loudspeaker.

39. Eddie Murphy turned down the role of Eddie Valiant in the film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" He later regretted the decision and said he "feels like 'an idiot' every time he sees it."

40. Sandra Bullock only agreed to star in "Speed 2" in order to get financial backing for her project, "Hope Floats." She has stated that she now regrets making the sequel.

After Independence, John Adams paid an official visit to King George III, who told him that he regretted being unable to prevent America from separating from England, while Adams expressed the wish to build a new friendship.

42. Theophylactus of Tusculum served as the Pope three separate times. Initially, he was elected because his father bribed the voters, but a rebellion overthrew him. Theophylactus returned to the throne but sold it to his godfather. Subsequently, he regretted selling it and reclaimed the throne.

43. Christopher Lee turned down the role of Dr. Rumack in the movie Airplane! The role was given to Leslie Nielsen, and Lee regretted that decision.

44. One of the judges in the Salem Witch Trials regretted his actions several years later. He allowed himself to be publicly shamed and dedicated his life to abolishing slavery, giving rights to women, and sponsoring the first Native American to go to Harvard.

45. One of Oprah's biggest regrets is wheeling 67 pounds of fat on stage to illustrate how much weight she lost in a 1988 episode of her show.

In 1994, the British art and music group K Foundation filmed themselves burning a stack of £1,000,000 as an art project, showing the tape at galleries. They swore off discussing the project for 23 years, but eight years later, they admitted they regretted burning the money.

47. MLK Jr. regretted his "I have a dream" speech after witnessing the violence in Vietnam and the disdain against black people in the US, calling it naive. Three months later, he was assassinated.

48. Mel Gibson said of the movie The Million Dollar Hotel, "I thought it was as boring as a dog's a*s." He later said, "God, why did I say that? I'm an idiot! I produced this film. I'm distributing it! ... I really regret saying that. I have written a lot of apology letters about it."

49. George Martin's only major regret in life was signing away royalties from The Beatles. "My only regret with the Beatles is that I was wrongly advised and signed away my royalties to their records-about half a penny per title, but with them, that would have been an enormous amount."

50. Bob Dylan wrote a song about his breakup with his girlfriend that he later regretted, saying, "I must have been a real schmuck to write that."