The British Museum is one of London’s major museums, known for its vast collection of human history, art, and culture. It was established in 1753 and opened to the public in 1759, making it the world’s first national public museum.
 
It sits in Bloomsbury, London, and holds more than 8 million objects from around the world. The collection spans roughly two million years of history, from ancient civilizations to more recent cultures. Only a small fraction of the collection is on display at any one time, with the rest kept in storage.
 
The museum began with the collection of Sir Hans Sloane and was first housed in Montagu House before moving to its current site. Over time, it became one of the world’s leading museums for archaeology and ethnography
 
Interesting facts...
The museum once kept a “Cabinet of Obscene Objects,” later called the Secretum, which stored erotic or sensitive material out of general view. It also had a hidden door disguised as a bookcase in the Enlightenment Gallery, used by director Anthony Panizzi. Another oddity is the museum’s history of resident cats, especially Mike, a famous mouse-catcher who lived there for years.