The Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is a museum and research complex. It is made up of 19 museums, nine research facilities and the National Zoo. It was established by and named after James Smithson. He was a British scientist. When he died, Smithson gave his wealth to the United States to create “an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.”
Congress debated over how this money should be used for 10 years, until 1846. No one is sure why the British scientist, who had never been to this country, left his money to America. However, with the fortune Smithson left, Congress created what became the largest museum complex in the world. Originally, the estate was valued at $500,000. Today that fortune would be worth $11 million.
- Eleven of the 19 Smithsonian Museums are located on the National Mall.
- The Smithsonian is nicknamed “The Nation’s Attic.”
- 6,300 people work for the Smithsonian.
- In 2015, more than 28 million people visited the Smithsonian Museums and the National Zoo.
- Admission to all Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., is free.
- Smithsonian facilities are in Washington, D.C.; New York; Virginia; and Florida.
- The National Zoo is home to 400 different species and 2,000 animals.
- The Smithsonian Library holds two million volumes.
- The archives have 156,830 cubic feet of archival material.
- Lincoln’s pocket watch is in the Smithsonian.
- Indiana Jones’ hat and jacket are on display there, too.
The Smithsonian is nicknamed “The Nation’s Attic” because it stores so much information and valuable artifacts from America’s history. The museum has so many artifacts and specimens that there is not physically room for them all to be displayed. The Smithsonian stores and preserves around 154 million objects; 145 million are specimens and artifacts. The museums often rotate exhibits, but when items are not on display, they are either being researched or stored. Storing these objects is not always as easy as just packing them into a box. They need to be preserved for future generations, so the Smithsonian Museum Support Center was built. This is an off-site conservation facility. It has
12 miles of cabinets and holds 31 million objects.
