250th Birthday of The British Museum today. Or rather it's the 250th Anniversary, as January 15th 1759 was the date the museum first opened its doors to the public and is not to be confused its last 250 year birthday back in 2003 (and again every year since).
It is like the perennial 49 year old, every year - same age. "And how old are you this year The British Museum? 250? Again? Congratulations!"
It isn't that I blame it for wanting to make its birthday last as long as possible, most people have this urge. It's just that most people outgrow it by the time they're in double digits. There are, after all, other years - better years maybe - that are being overlooked. 251, for example, might have been a nice one to celebrate, or the pallendromic 252. 253, 254 & 255 - all perfectly good years, passing utterly unremarked under the headline of '250th Anniversary'.
I shall be attending the Director's Lecture in the BP lecture hall tonight "250 years on: What Does It Mean To Be A World Museum?" and there will be an audio file posted online after the event.
Promises to be good, even if we are being a little interpretive regarding the numbers.
