255 years ago today, the British Museum opened its doors. It was the first ever national public museum. As a public museum, it was free to all and aimed to attract 'all studious and curious persons'. Today, it's stronger than ever, having just announced record visitor figures!

Studious and curious persons study specimens at the British Museum in this George Cruickshank caricature. The guide tells the visitors that the pictures of men on the wall - Yorkshire Jim, Bristol Bill and Brummegan (Birmingham) Joe - are examples of a race of men all now extinguished!
You can find over 8,000 items relating to the British Museum in Europeana. The museum hasn't always been housed in the iconic columned building we recognise today. To begin with, it was in a mansion called Montagu House - on the site of the existing museum. But this soon became too small. For many years during the 1800s and early 1900s, construction work was carried out to demolish the existing buildings, along with many houses surrounding them, in order to build new wings and galleries. The result is the neo-classical British Museum as we now know it.