That blue expanse on the left of today"s homepage image is the roof of the British Museum"s Great Court and Reading Room in London. The oculus at the top of the dome is made of glass, and the ceilings within are papier-mâché. The Great Court opened in 2000, a new addition to a storied institution. Irish physician Sir Hans Sloane sold his personal collection of antiquities and books to Great Britain in the early 18th century. Sloane’s items included many books, rare manuscripts, and artifacts from around the globe, and he wanted them preserved and exhibited in public. This led to the creation of the British Museum, the world’s first national public museum, which opened this day in 1759. The collection has grown and changed significantly since then, but one detail remains: Admission to this London attraction is still free.
A personal collection becomes an institution
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Seitan Limania Beach, Crete
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Protecting Alaska
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World Maritime Day
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Gateway to America
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A winter light show
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Feeling crabby?
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A cliffside harbor in Sardinia
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American robin
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Bukhansan National Park, South Korea
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High seas commerce
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The birthplace of a classic Christmas carol
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Celebrating the International Day of Forests
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Of moose and Maine
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National Park Week begins
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An uncommonly cool critter
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Mount Pico, Portugal
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Mont-Saint-Michel, Normandy, France
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Star Wars Day
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Happy Easter!
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World Rhinoceros Day
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Falling for Tennessee
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Total solar eclipse
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The mountaintop of toppled gods
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Where can you find a red fox?
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Tintern Abbey, Wales
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National Bird Day
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Spring comes to the Palouse
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What the hay?
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Twosday
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Illuminations on the Gulf of Poets