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10/08/1846 Smithsonian Institution is founded

3:27

Collecting the World: Inside the Smithsonian

6:33

National Museum of Natural History - Student Orientation Video

The Smithsonian Institution is a group of museums and research centers administered by the US government. The headquarters of the institution is in the “Castle”, an estate passed to the US by a scientist James Smithson. President James Polk signed the legislation that established it as a trust instrumentality of the US.
    • Essentials 

    • Founding 

    • Development 

    • Museums and buildings 

    • Capital campaigns 

    • Museums 

    • Collections 

    • Research centers and programs 

    • History 

    • Publications 

    • Administration 

    • Secretaries of the Smithsonian Institution 

    • ''Enola Gay'' display 

    • Censorship of "Seasons of Life and Land" 

    • Copyright restrictions