Ever spotted a field full of tulips and felt like you"d stepped into a painting? Well, you are not alone. Today, there are more than 3,000 registered varieties of tulips grown around the world. Originally found in the wild across Central Asia, tulips were cultivated by the Ottomans as early as the 10th century. These flowers made their way into Europe during the 16th century after being introduced through diplomatic and trade routes. By the 1630s, the Netherlands experienced tulip mania, one of the first recorded economic bubbles, where single bulbs could sell for more than a skilled worker"s annual salary.