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Rex Features

Galileo’s inky 1633 trial signature, St. Peter’s letters written on papyrus scrolls, and the oldest known Bible in existence are quietly tucked away in the Vatican Library in Rome. Non-scholars should book a guided tour.

Like her new mother-in-law's 1947 wedding dress, Kate Middleton's dress blooms with flora, including embroidered roses, thistles, daffodils, and shamrocks. Similar to Queen Victoria's 1840 gown, Middleton's does its bit to boost British industry. The handmade lace hails from the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace, for example. And the new Duchess of Cambridge chose a British fashion house, Alexander McQueen, to design the dress—in part because of the brand's "craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing," according to a statement on the official wedding website.

Joy Milne (right) was able to correctly identify people with Parkinson’s disease based solely on their smell.

The beaver seen here, at night along the River Otter, is thought to be the only one of its kind living wild in England.