Wasn't Boeing 777 originally intended to be a trijet?
Not in anything but the earliest design phases. Boing dropped any ideas for a tri 777 when it became clear that the tri design had lost out in the court of public opinion, and when the company's 75 and 76 had clearly paved the way for Boeing ETOPS. Whether deserving or not, DC-10s became synonymous with major aircraft accidents in America. That footage of UA232 turning into a fireball on landing in Sioux City was the death knell for the future of trijets in the American passenger market. MD lost big on the -11, and the L-1011 was another disappointment. Boeing didn't want their next flagship going that way, and thought they could do better selling a more efficient, modern-seeming twin. Seems to have gone okay...