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The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, opens as the world's first university museum

The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street in Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum.

The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street in Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University of Oxford in 1677. It is also the world's second university museum, after the establishment of the Kunstmuseum Basel in 1661 by the University of Basel.

The present building was built between 1841 and 1845. The museum reopened in 2009 after a major redevelopment, and in November 2011, new galleries focusing on Egypt and Nubia were unveiled. In May 2016, the museum redisplayed galleries of 19th-century art.

Historical Significance

The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street in Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum.

Events Before

  1. English astronomer Edmond Halley first observes the comet named after him

    Edmond (or Edmund) Halley (8 November [O.S. 29 October] 1656 – 25 January 1742 [O.S. 14 January 1741]) was an English astronomer, mathematician and physicist.

  2. William Penn leaves England to sail to the New World

    William Penn leaves England to sail to the New World

  3. Thomas Otway's "Venice Preserved" premieres in London

    Thomas Otway's "Venice Preserved" premieres in London

  4. De Italiaanse Opera (The Italian Opera) theater on the Leidsegracht in Amsterdam closes less than 1-1/2 years after open

    De Italiaanse Opera (The Italian Opera) theater on the Leidsegracht in Amsterdam closes less than 1-1/2 years after opening

  5. Assembly of the French clergy issues a declaration stating, among other things, that the power of the King is not subjec

    Assembly of the French clergy issues a declaration stating, among other things, that the power of the King is not subject to papal authority

Events After

  1. French King Louis XIV marries Madame Maintenon

    Louis XIV (5 September 1638 – 1 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great (Louis le Grand [lwi lə ɡʁɑ̃]) or the Sun King (le Roi Soleil [lə ʁwa sɔlɛj]), was King of France from 1643 until his...

  2. Isaac Newton's derivation of Kepler's laws from his theory of gravity, contained in the paper “De motu corporum in gyrum

    Isaac Newton's derivation of Kepler's laws from his theory of gravity, contained in the paper “De motu corporum in gyrum” (On the motion of bodies in an orbit), is read to the Royal Society by Edmond Halley.

  3. Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Venetian Republic sign an agreement establishi

    Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Venetian Republic sign an agreement establishing the Holy League to prevent further expansion of the Ottoman Empire into Europe

  4. Dutch East India Company signs treaty with Sultan Hadji of Banten (Java) to aid him in a civil war with his father in ex

    Dutch East India Company signs treaty with Sultan Hadji of Banten (Java) to aid him in a civil war with his father in exchange for sole right to trade in the Sultanate [1]

  5. Patent granted for thimble

    Patent granted for thimble

More from the 1680s

First recorded boxing match is organized by Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle, between his butler and his butcher

First recorded boxing match is organized by Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle, between his butler and his butcher

French King Louis XIV marries Madame Maintenon

Louis XIV (5 September 1638 – 1 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great (Louis le Grand [lwi lə ɡʁɑ̃]) or the Sun King (le Roi Soleil [lə ʁwa sɔlɛj]), was King of France from 1643 until his...

Prince William of Orange, the future King William III of Britain, summons the Convention Parliament to discuss ruling jo

Prince William of Orange, the future King William III of Britain, summons the Convention Parliament to discuss ruling jointly with his wife, Mary, the daughter of the exiled King James II

Parliament of England adopts the Bill of Rights, establishing the rights of Parliament and placing limits on the Crown

The constitution of the United Kingdom comprises the written and unwritten arrangements that establish the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a political body.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on June 6, 1683?
The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street in Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University of Oxford in 1677. It is also the world's second university museum, after the establishment of the Kunstmuseum Basel in 1661 by the University of Basel.
Why is The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, opens as the world's first universit... significant?
The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street in Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum.

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June 6 in HistoryYear 1683