On the eve of the Millennium, Sir Cliff Richard lit the "eternal flame" atop a giant revolving globe in Birmingham's Centenary Square to promote world peace and harmony. In 2004, the flame was extinguished -- after a dispute arose over who would pay the annual ?12,000 bills for fuel.

[Not only did Birmingham's City Council balk at paying the bills; it also argued that the flame contributed to global warming and suggested substituting a flame-effect electric light. The Church of England (which had contributed some of the ?72,000 gift) called the council's reasoning "mildly pathetic."]