10 things we didn't know this time last week

10 THINGS 10 green bottles by Bonnie Janes See 10 things? Send us a picture

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. Birds can dance. US scientists have discovered that the male cowbird synchronises its mating song with its dance for maximum effect.

2. Juggling makes your brain grow.

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3. When do speed cameras flash motorists? It varies slightly from area to area, but in some places it's the speed limit, plus 10% of the speed limit, plus two miles per hour.

4. David James, the troubleshooter who ran the Dome and now is Michael Howard's "waste czar" had a stroke just before Christmas 2002, because of over-exertion on a rowing machine. He set the timer for 10 minutes at 48 strokes a minute on the top effort level, but the timer wasn't working properly. He "literally flopped" off the machine after two hours, having lost track of what he was doing. Mr James, 66, then had his stroke. But a friend, 30 years younger than him, came to nurse him over that Christmas ,and is now his fiancée.

5. The paper used for Bank of England banknotes is made from cotton fibre and linen rags. This makes it stronger than wood-based paper. During World War Two, rags such as old corset strings were used.

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6. Playwright Alan Bennett and the late Dame Thora Hird worked together for more than 30 years on six plays. But they never got round to having lunch together.

7. Monopoly was devised a century ago by a Quaker, Lizzie Magie, as an instructive game against the inequalities of capitalism. For 30 years, it was a Quaker pastime. It was shown to a man named Charles Darrow, who in 1936 sold the rights to Parker Brothers Games.

8. Winston Churchill DIDN'T have a parrot, it ISN'T still alive and well at 104, and WASN'T taught to swear about Hitler by the great man - all contrary to reports in the media, at least according to Churchill's daughter, Lady Soames.

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9. The new transport spokesman in the Commons for the Lib Dems is Lord Thurso, who is the first hereditary peer to sit in the House. He was elected in 2001, after the hereditaries lost the right to sit in the Lords.

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10. After Kodak founder George Eastman's suicide in 1932, a note was found explaining his decision to end it all. "My work is done," it read. "Why wait?"

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