Exhibitions related to Museums

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From Smithson to Smithsonian- The Birth of an Institution

From Smithson to Smithsonian: The Birth of an Institution


This exhibition highlights the life of James Smithson, the English scientist who bequeathed his fortune to the United States to establish an institution "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." The exhibition tells of the retrieval of the bequest from Great Britain, and describes the controversy this bequest provoked in the United States, up until the 1846 founding of the Smithsonian Institution.
image of a three-masted ship sailing through icy seas

United States Exploring Expedition
Your Smithsonian Libraries

Your Smithsonian Libraries


Did you know the Smithsonian has a library? Actually, the Smithsonian has 20 libraries combined into one system and supported by an online catalog of the combined collections of: Over 1.5 million books, 50,000 rare books, 10,000 historic manuscript and over 2,000 electronic journal titles