Imagine a flower sparking a financial frenzy. Sounds unlikely, right? Yet in the 1630s, tulips did exactly that in the Netherlands. During tulip mania, rare bulbs became luxury items traded for astonishing sums—some valued at prices comparable to a house. Why so valuable? Unusual colors and striped patterns were scarce and unpredictable, and collectors wanted the rarest varieties they could find.
Keukenhof Gardens, Lisse, Netherlands
Today in History
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Merry Christmas!
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International Sloth Day
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Poinsettia Day
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Molokini Crater, Maui, Hawaii
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World Theatre Day
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National Take a Hike Day
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A walk among the giants
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Tolkien Reading Day
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In the Red Sea for World Dolphin Day
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Happy 50th for the National Trails System!
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A. M. Foster Bridge in Cabot, Vermont
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World Architecture Day
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Let the games begin
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Polar bear capital of the world
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Perseid meteor shower over Nevada
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Cloudy with a chance of enlightenment
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Storm rolls over the grasslands
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Here there be dragons
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Village of Oia in Santorini, Greece
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National Gardening Week
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Zelenci Nature Reserve, Slovenia
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Nakupenda Beach Nature Reserve, Zanzibar, Tanzania
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Aerial view of a heart-shaped field in Trittau, Germany
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Misool, Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia
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An emerald isle of the Emerald Isle
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A hit ballet, long after its debut
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National Panda Day
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Great cormorants
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The moon rises for Mid-Autumn Festival
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Relationship status: It s complicated
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