10 things we didn't know this time last week

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It's easy to lose track of the news. So at the end of the week, it's good to keep an eye on some of those things which shouldn't go unnoticed.

If you spot something you think should be included next week, send it to us using the form at the bottom of the page.

 

1. Walter Mitty, to whom Dr David Kelly, the late government weapons expert was controversially compared, is to return to the silver screen. Steven Spielberg is currently remaking the 1947 film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Jim Carrey has been cast as the eponymous daydreaming hero made famous by legendary comedian Danny Kaye.

2. The so-called Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs, who along with 14 other masked men made off with 120 mail bags stuffed with £2.5m in used bank notes 40 years ago this week, carried out his notorious crime on his birthday.

3. Ali G's taunting of distinguished public figures during the spoof interviews for his TV comedy show, doesn't always leave his subjects angry and resentful. Former MP Tony Benn says Sacha Baron Cohen's irreverence made him think about the state of modern political debate and inspired him to make a rap album to engage with "da kids".

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4. Testicles should NOT be kept 22 degrees Celsius colder than the rest of the body. We know this thanks to a correction in the Guardian on Thursday, which read: "In an article about the adverse health effects of certain kinds of clothing... we omitted a decimal point when quoting a doctor on the optimum temperature of testicles. They should be 2.2 degrees Celsius below core body temperature, not degrees lower." It is, thus, safe to remove that ice pack.

5. Bob Hope was not invited to Bing Crosby's funeral! This titbit was sent in to 10 Things... by James Alexander from USA. "I learned this while watching the Larry King Live tribute show to Bob Hope. It surprised me, but those on the show that knew Bob said it devastated him!"

6. John Prescott's stepson is a pro-hunting, Tory, army officer.

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Putting on the factor 8

7. Piglets need sunscreen, too. Domestic pigs have been bred to have very little hair compared with their relatives, such as the wild boar.

8. Roland Garros,who gave his name to the tennis arena where the French answer to Wimbledon is played, was known for dealing in bullets, not serving balls. He was the first World War I pilot to fix a machine gun to the nose of his plane.

According to Five's World War I in Colour documentary, Garros put steel on his propeller to stop it being shot off by his own gun. Most bullets passed through the gaps between the whirring blades, while the ones striking the steel deflectors alarmingly pinged off in all directions.

9. Pets left to swelter in cars during this hot spell, are not being forgotten by everyone. The supermarkets are falling over themselves to show their caring side, with Asda launching "pooch patrols" to track down dogs overheating in customers' cars. Not to be out done, Safeway has started "operation Hotdog".

10. Saliva is an increasingly common "weapon" used against train staff. Employees of Central Trains became the first to receive portable DNA kits this week, after spitting incidents by passengers rose last year. The kits will be used to bring "spitters" before the courts.

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If you see something you think should be included next week, let us know using the form below.