The

Smithsonian Institution

is a museum complex with most of its facilities in Washington_D.C.. It consists of 16 museums, 7 research centers and 142 million items in its collections. A monthly magazine published by the Smithsonian Institution is also named ''Smithsonian''.

History

The Smithsonian Institution was founded for the promotion and dissemination of knowledge by a bequest to the United_States by James_Smithson (1765-1829). In James 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 establishing an institution "for the increase and 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. Eight years later, Congress passed an act establishing the Smithsonian Institution and the act was signed into law on August_10, 1846 by James Polk. The Smithsonian Institution is established as a trust administered by a secretary and board of regents. The nominal head of the institute is the Chancellor, an office which has always been held by the current Chief_Justice_of_the_United_States. Serving as a member of the board of regents is one of the very few official legal duties of the Vice_President_of_the_United_States. The Information Center in the central complex has architecture reminiscent of a castle and is known informally as "The Castle". Many of the other buildings are landmarks and feature other distinctive architectural styles.
  • See also: Asteroid 3773_Smithsonian

    Further reading

  • Nina Burleigh, ''Stranger and the Statesman: James Smithson, John Quincy Adams, and the Making of America's Greatest Museum, The Smithsonian'', Harpercollins, September, 2003, hardcover, 288 pages, ISBN 0060002417

    Links and references

    Museums

  • American_Art_Museum
  • Anacostia_Museum
  • Arts_and_Industries_Building
  • Freer_Gallery
  • Hirshhorn_Museum
  • National_Air_and_Space_Museum
  • National_Design_Museum
  • National_Gallery_of_Art (affiliated, though under a separate charter)
  • National_Museum_of_African_Art
  • National_Museum_of_American_History
  • National_Museum_of_the_American_Indian
  • National_Museum_of_Natural_History
  • National Portrait Gallery
  • National_Postal_Museum
  • National_Zoological_Park
  • Arthur_M._Sackler_Gallery
  • Smithsonian_Institute_Building

    Research centers

  • Astrophysical_Observatory
  • Carrie-Bow_Marine_Field_Station
  • Center_For_Earth_and_Planetary_Studies
  • Environmental_Research_Center
  • Marine_Station_at_Fort_Pierce
  • Migratory_Bird_Center
  • Tropical_Research_Institute

    External link

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    Copyright (c) 2004
    Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled
    "GNU Free Documentation License".

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