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History The Smithsonian Institution was founded for the promotion and dissemination of knowledge by a bequest to the United States by the British scientist James Smithson (1765–1829), who had never visited the United States himself. In Smithson's will, he stated that should his nephew, Henry James Hungerford, die without heirs, the Smithson estate would go to the United States of America for creating an "Establishment for the increase & diffusion of Knowledge among men". After the nephew died without heirs in 1835, President Andrew Jackson informed Congress of the bequest, which amounted to 100,000 gold sovereigns, or $500,000 U.S. dollars ($9,235,277 in 2005 U.S. dollars after inflation).
Railroad hall - Museum of History and Technology
"The Nation's Attic," the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC, is the world's largest museum complex and research organization. Composed of 17 museums and the National Zoo in metropolitan Washington DC, and two New York facilities, the Smithsonian Institution museums offer visitors a window on its enormous holdings, including in excess of 142 million artifacts. The Smithsonian Institution museum's holdings are so vast that exhibitors display only about 1% or 2% of the collection's holdings at any given time.
Natural History Museum The Smithsonian institute in Washington DC's holdings range every area of human interest, from a 3.5-billion-year-old fossil to part of a 1902 Horn & Hardart Automat. The Smithsonian has funded countless exploratory projects for science, increasing our knowledge of the furthest reaches of civilization. The Smithsonian Institution museums in Washington DC include the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the National Museum of American History, the American Museum of African Art, among others. Somewhat prominent is Smithsonian Institution Building.
The red, nineteenth-century palace of sandstone, commonly referred to as the "Castle," is the national mall's oldest structure, nonetheless it houses the high-tech comprehensive Smithsonian Information Center. Its Great Hall shows a half hour film summarizing the institution for visitors, which runs regularly all day. There are also enormous electronic maps and models depicting the national mall. Extensive interactive exhibits and videos allow tourists to find almost 100 popular destinations, as well as their respective public transportation stops.
Smithsonian museums
Credits & Copyrights: Tony Ang |
