The Smithsonian Institution was established with funds from James Smithson (1765–1829), a British scientist who left his estate to the United States to found “at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” On August 10, 1846, the U.S. Senate ...

The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo - shaping the future by preserving heritage, discovering new knowledge, and sharing our resources with the world.

a national museum and institution / (smɪθˈsəʊnɪən) / noun. a national museum and institution in Washington, D.C., founded in 1846 from a bequest by James Smithson, primarily concerned with ethnology, zoology, and astrophysics.

10 Artifacts That Shaped America's History

• The Star-Spangled Banner.
• Plymouth Rock.
• Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin.
• The Emancipation Proclamation.
• Conestoga Wagons.
• The Spirit of Saint Louis.
• The Telegraph.
• Television.

Why is the museum named the National Museum of the American Indian? The name of the museum can be traced back to the collection of George Gustav Heye (1874–1957) and a 1989 Act of Congress that established the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian.

Washington D.C. 11 of the 20 Smithsonian Institution museums and galleries are at the National Mall in Washington D.C., the open-area national park in Washington, D.C. running between the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Capitol, with the Washington Monument providing a division slightly west of the center.

157 million Admission to all Smithsonian museums in Washington is free. Smithsonian Collections - The total number of objects, works of art and specimens at the Smithsonian is estimated at nearly 157 million, of which nearly 148 million are scientific specimens at the National Museum of Natural History.

James Smithson James Smithson (c. 1765-1829), founding donor of the Smithsonian Institution, was born in 1765 in France with the name James Lewis Macie.

A History of the World in 100 Objects was a joint project of BBC Radio 4 and the British Museum, consisting of a 100-part radio series written and presented by British Museum director Neil MacGregor.

Six U.S. symbols are depicted in this primary source set: the Liberty Bell, the U.S. flag, the bald eagle, the national anthem, Uncle Sam, and the Statue of Liberty.

National Museum of American History Through incomparable collections, rigorous research, and dynamic public outreach, the National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center, explores the infinite richness and complexity of American history.

The word Indian came to be used because Christopher Columbus repeatedly expressed the mistaken belief that he had reached the shores of South Asia. Convinced he was correct, Columbus fostered the use of the term Indios (originally, “person from the Indus valley”) to refer to the peoples of the so-called New World.