'I'm not an adrenaline junkie. I don't get a thrill out of taking risks. I do this because I like challenging myself and stretching the boundaries of science.'
Fossett amassed 115 world records, circling the globe by boat, balloon and plane before disappearing while flying a single-engine plane over Nevada.
His final year as Russia's President has been his most successful yet. At home, he secured his political future. Abroad, he expanded his outsizeif not always benigninfluence on global affairs