Sir Hans Sloane

January 15, 1759
On this day, the British Museum opened.
The British Museum was founded in 1753 when Sir Hans Hans left his entire collection to the country of England.

At first glance, a personal collection doesn't sound worthy of starting a museum. But over his lifetime, Hans became a one-person repository for all things relating to the natural world.

Hans outlived many of the explorers and collectors of his day, and as they would die, they would bequeath him their herbariums and collections. So when Hans passed away, he practically had become the caretaker of the world's Natural History, aka the British Museum.

The British Museum is the most significant indoor space captured by Google Street View today. Google mapped the museum in November 2015, and it's now available online.

So, today, if someone asks you what you're doing, you can say,

"I'm going to tour the British Museum. What are you up to?"