Sir Hans Sloane was born on this day in 1660

Hans Sloane (1660-1753) was a British physician and collector, notable for bequeathing his collection to the nation, providing the foundation of the British Museum, and introducing the world to chocolate.

Sloane trained as a doctor and in 1687, shortly after being elected to the Royal Society, travelled to Jamaica to serve the new Governor, the Duke of Albemarle. The Duke however died shortly after his arrival leaving Sloane time to indulge his hobby of collecting and cataloguing plants and animal species of the island. He later published this collection of drawings in 1707-1725.

Among the many plants that Sloane encountered on his travels was the cocoa bean. He found that the locals mixed the bean with water to produce a drink. He found this nauseating but devised a way of mixing the bean powder with milk. When he returned to England he brought his new chocolate recipe with him. This product was produced by apothecaries as a medicine but later in the 19^th century the Cadbury Brothers sold tins of ‘Sloane’s Drinking Chocolate’.

Sloane became physician to three successive monarchs and was later elected President of the Royal Society in 1727 succeeding Sir Isaac Newton. He bequeathed his large collection of books, manuscripts, prints, drawings, flora, fauna, medals, coins, seals, cameos and curiosities to the nation and in 1759 the British Museum was opened to the public.