About the Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution is the largest museum complex and research organization in the world. The Smithsonian is dedicated to discovery, exploration, and learning and continues to fulfill its mission to facilitate the "increase and diffusion of knowledge."

The Smithsonian Institution's History

In 1826, James Smithson, a British scientist, drew up his last will and testament, naming his nephew as beneficiary. Smithson stipulated that, should the nephew die without heirs (as he would in 1835), the estate should go “to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.”

Smithson died in 1829, and six years later, President Andrew Jackson announced the bequest to Congress. On July 1, 1836, Congress accepted the legacy bequeathed to the nation and pledged the faith of the United States to the charitable trust. In September 1838, Smithson’s legacy, which amounted to more than 100,000 gold sovereigns, was delivered to the mint at Philadelphia. Recoined in U.S. currency, the gift amounted to more than $500,000.

After eight years of occasionally heated debate, an Act of Congress signed by President James K. Polk on August 10, 1846, established the Smithsonian Institution as a trust to be administered by a Board of Regents and a Secretary of the Smithsonian.

Today, the Smithsonian houses more than 140 million objects and is comprised of 17 museums and the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and 2 museums in New York City. The Smithsonian extends its global reach with more than 160 affiliate museums and nine research centers.

Learn more at si.edu and smithsonianeducation.org.