April 13, 1870: NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art is founded.

I'm sure that the Met has appeared in any number of books, but the first one that comes to mind is Tom Dolby's Secret Society—because the Met doesn't just have a cameo, it's one of the key locations in the story.

Anyway, it's not a super book, but it's a pretty entertaining* entry in the Rich NYC Kids Being Snotty To Each Other While Getting Involved In Nefarious Activities subgenre:

After the initiation, it quickly becomes apparent that There Is More To The Society Than Meets The Eye (in a bad way), and that Getting Out Might Be A Whole Lot More Difficult Than Getting In. Afterwards, things get stranger and more uncomfortable, and all four characters realize that they might be in way, way too deep.

And that's all before the first death...

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*Entertaining enough that I read the second one, anyway.