https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrkl104ly5o
A rare surviving copy of the Declaration of Independence has been discovered at The National Archives in Kew, the only known example of its kind outside the US.
The document was uncovered by a volunteer in February while cataloguing the papers of Royal Navy captains from the American Revolutionary War.
It is one of 11 copies printed in Exeter, New Hampshire in July 1776 to spread news of American independence through the colonies before it was seized by British forces.
Volunteer Michael Scurr, recalled feeling butterflies in his stomach after he opened up the paper and realised what it was.
“I called over to my boss and said, ‘I think you need to come and have a look at this’,” he told BBC News.
Following restoration works, the copy will be displayed in the archives’ exhibition on the path to American independence, which opened last month.
Saul Nassé, chief executive of The National Archives, praised the find as “an extraordinary discovery”.