Twenty Things: Did You Know...?

The Beatles were picketed by the Klu Klux Klan/BBC.

Neurotic news nuggets picked from the press.

1. In 1966, when a magazine re-published quotes Beatles member John Lennon had given to the Evening Standard four months earlier suggesting the band were "more popular than Jesus", all hell broke loose on their American tour. It was blighted by death threats and the Klu Klux Klan even picketed one concert.
2. It's almost 100 years since 19 African-American soldiers were executed following a violent mutiny in Texax, but almost no one talks of it.
3. Time Magazine is disputing US President Donald Trump's account of how he rejected a request for an interview and photo shoot ahead of its Person of the Year issue, while Time has been sold in a deal backed by the billionaire Koch brothers, who are known for supporting economically conservative causes.
4. A Roman Catholic school in Australia has been forced to cover up a statue after the finished piece appeared to show St Martin de Porres offering his penis to a young child. The embarassment comes after the religion has been rocked with child abuse scandals and a worldwide cover-up of predatory priests by the Vatican.
5. The Archbishop of York has put on a dog collar for the first time in almost 10 years, ending his symbolic protest over Robert Mugabe's leadership of Zimbabwe, while Mugabe will continue to have a role to play in Zimbabwean politics, the Jesuit priest who helped negotiate his resignation has told the BBC.
6. When Elsie Inglis asked the War Office if female doctors and surgeons could serve in front-line hospitals in World War One she was told to go home and sit still. Instead, she formed the Scottish Women's Hospitals - all female units that provided support for Britain's allies, the French, the Belgians and especially the Serbs.
7. A survivor of the war in Bosnia has spoken of the horrors she experienced during Ratko Mladic's genocide in the country, when Europe watched Serbians ethnically cleanse the Muslim population in the 1990s.
8. Buddha would have helped the Rohingya Muslims who are fleeing violence in Buddhist-majority Burma, the Dalai Lama has said. The world’s most well-known Buddhist icon said the plight of the minority group made him “very sad”.
9. During a break in writing his final novel "1984", George Orwell narrowly escaped death from one of the largest whirlpools in the world, while former British Secretary of State, Sir Vince Cable won't be considered for 2017's Bad Sex in Fiction Award - because his writing isn't bad enough.
10. Advent calendars used to be a cheap way to count down to Christmas with a seasonal picture or chocolate treat, but behind the doors you can now find everything from expensive whisky to fancy face cream.
11. A rising number of firms are finding creative uses for food that would have otherwise ended up in the bin.
12. Sophia is the first humanoid robot in the world to become a citizen of a country in Saudi Arabia, but many were quick to point out she has more rights than women in the country.
13. Artificial Intelligence could overtake humanity by 2045, an Oxford University professor has said.
14. Drone users in the UK will be required to do safety awareness tests as part of planned new legislation on their usage.
15. Two men questioned over an altercation that sparked panic in London's Oxford Street on Friday have been released without charge, police have said, while the evacuation was sparked by a member of the public claiming they heard a "gunshot", a leaked document has shown.
16. The dancefloor of a nightclub in Tenerife has collapsed, injuring 22 people.
17. Airlines have been issued a "red warning" about the danger of volcanic ash in the skies close to Bali after Mount Agung emitted a thick plume of smoke reaching 4,000m (13,100 feet).
18. A miners' strike-themed student rugby club event has been criticised as "disgraceful" and swiftly cancelled.
19. The BBC was given permission to report from the Republic of Uzbekistan in Central Asia for the first time in over 12 years.
20. Pakistani Islamists who clashed with police at the weekend have called off national protests after the resignation of Law Minister Zahid Hamid, over what has been described as a "clerical error".

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