Founding of the Smithsonian
Next: August 10, 2027
For the increase of knowledge.
The story
Where it comes from
On 10 August 1846 President James K. Polk signed the act of Congress that established the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, and this Story marks the anniversary. It was paid for by James Smithson, a British scientist who never set foot in the United States, yet left his whole estate to found 'an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men'. His gift reached the Philadelphia mint in 1838 as more than 100,000 gold sovereigns, worth over $500,000. The Smithsonian has since become the world's largest museum, education and research complex.
How it's celebrated
There is no public holiday, but the anniversary is a good day to explore what Smithson's gift became: 21 museums, the National Zoo and nine research centres. Visitors in Washington can walk the National Mall from museum to museum, and anyone, anywhere, can mark the day by learning one new thing and passing it on, which is what 'diffusion of knowledge' means.
Did you know
- Smithson's motives remain a mystery: he seems to have had no correspondence with anyone in the United States.
- His bequest was worth about 1/66 of the entire US federal budget at the time.
- The Smithsonian's first art museum, the Freer Gallery, opened in 1923 and is now part of the National Museum of Asian Art, with art from China, Japan, Korea, the Indian subcontinent and the Islamic world.
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