The Smithsonian Institution, established in 1846 "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge,"
is a group of museums and research centers administered by the United States government.
Originally organized as the "United States National Museum," that name ceased to exist
as an administrative entity in 1967.
Termed "the nation's attic" for its eclectic holdings of 137 million items, the Institution's
Washington, D.C. nucleus of nineteen museums, nine research centers, and zoo—many of them
historical or architectural landmarks—is the largest such complex in the world.
Additional facilities are located in Arizona, Maryland, New York City, Virginia, Panama
and elsewhere, and 168 other museums are Smithsonian affiliates.
The Institution's thirty million annual visitors are admitted without charge; funding comes
from the Institution's own endowment, private and corporate contributions, membership dues,
government support, and retail, concession and licensing revenues.
Institution publications include Smithsonian and Air & Space magazines.
Founding
British scientist James Smithson left most of his wealth to his nephew Henry James Hungerford;
however, when Hungerford died childless in 1835, the estate passed "to the United States
of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an
Establishment for the increase & diffusion of knowledge among men.", in accordance with
Smithson's will.
Congress officially accepted the legacy bequeathed to the nation, and pledged the faith of the
United States to the charitable trust on July 1, 1836.
The American diplomat Richard Rush was dispatched to England by President Andrew Jackson to
collect the bequest; Rush returned in August 1838 with 105 sacks containing 104,960 gold
sovereigns.
Once the money was in hand, eight years of Congressional haggling ensued over how to
interpret Smithson's rather vague mandate "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge."
Unfortunately the money was invested by the US Treasury in bonds issued by the state of
Arkansas which soon defaulted.
After heated debate, Massachusetts Representative John Quincy Adams persuaded Congress to restore
the lost funds with interest and, despite designs on the money for other purposes, convinced
his colleagues to preserve it for an institution of science and learning.
Finally, on August 10, 1846, President James K. Polk signed the legislation that established
the Smithsonian Institution as a trust instrumentality of the United States, to be administered by
a Board of Regents and a Secretary of the Smithsonian.
Early development Though the Smithsonian's first Secretary,
Joseph Henry, wanted the Institution to be a center for scientific research, before long
it also became the depository for various Washington and U.S. government collections.
The United States Exploring Expedition by the U.S. Navy circumnavigated the globe between
1838 and 1842.
The voyage amassed thousands of animal specimens, an herbarium of 50,000 plant specimens, and
diverse shells and minerals, tropical birds, jars of seawater, and ethnographic artifacts
from the South Pacific.
These specimens and artifacts became part of the Smithsonian collections, as did those
collected by several military and civilian surveys of the American West, including the
Mexican Boundary Survey and Pacific Railroad Surveys, which assembled many Native American
artifacts and natural history specimens.
The Institution became a magnet for natural scientists from 1857 to 1866, who formed a
group called the Megatherium Club.
Many scientists of a variety of disciplines work at the various Smithsonian museums, which
have become centers for research.
When the Detroit philanthropist Charles Lang Freer donated his private collection to the
Smithsonian and funds to build the museum to hold it, it was among the Smithsonian's
first major donations from a private individual.
The gallery opened in 1923.
Museums
Nineteen museums and galleries, as well as the National Zoological Park, comprise the
Smithsonian museums.
Eleven are on the National Mall, the strip of land that runs between the Lincoln Memorial
and the United States Capitol.
Other museums are located elsewhere in Washington, D.C., with two more in New York City and one
in Chantilly, Virginia.
The Smithsonian has close ties with 168 other museums in 39 states, Panama and Puerto Rico.
These museums are known as Smithsonian Affiliated museums.
Collections of artifacts are given to these museums in the form of long-term loans.
The Smithsonian also has a large number of traveling exhibitions.
In 2008, 58 of these traveling exhibitions went to 510 venues across the country.
Collections Among the Smithsonian's most famous items
are the Hope Diamond and the ruby slippers.
For Go Skateboarding Day in 2013—June 21—the Institution accepted professional skateboarder
Tony Hawk's first skateboard.
A skateboarding exhibition accompanied the submission and other professional skateboarders
such as Chris Haslam, Rodney Mullen, Fred Gall, Shaun Gregoire, and Brian Anderson were
also in attendance.
The Smithsonian continues to broaden its collections to include more contemporary items.
In late December, 2013, the Smithsonian announced it had acquired two video games: Flower, by
Jenova Chen and Kellee Santiago, a game about the environmental impact of pollution, in
which the player controls a wind-blown collection of flower petals; and Halo 2600, by Ed Fries,
a retro remix of the popular first-person shooter game series, Halo.
“The best video games are a great expression of art and culture,” said Elizabeth Broun,
the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s director.
Research centers and programs The following is a list of Smithsonian research
centers, with their affiliated museum in parentheses: Archives of American Art
Carrie Bow Marine Field Station Center For Earth and Planetary Studies
Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Marine Station at Fort Pierce
Migratory Bird Center Museum Conservation Institute
Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and
the associated Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Smithsonian Institution Archives Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press Smithsonian Latino Center
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Also of note is the Smithsonian Museum Support Center, located in Silver Hill, Maryland,
which is the principal off-site conservation and collections facility for multiple Smithsonian
museums, primarily the National Museum of Natural History.
The MSC was dedicated in May 1983.
The MSC covers 4.5 acres of land, with over 500,000 square feet of space, making it one
of the largest set of structures in the Smithsonian.
It has over 12 miles of cabinets, and more than 31 million objects.
Publications The Institution regularly publishes Smithsonian
magazine and Air & Space magazine.
Administration
The Smithsonian Institution is established as a trust instrumentality by act of Congress,
and it is functionally and legally a body of the U.S. government, but separate from
the government's federal legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
More than two-thirds of the Smithsonian's workforce of some 6,300 persons are employees
of the federal government.
The Smithsonian Office of Protection Services oversees security at the Smithsonian facilities
and enforces laws and regulations for National Capital Parks together with the United States
Park Police.
The President’s 2011 budget proposed just under $800 million in support for the Smithsonian,
slightly increased from previous years.
Institution exhibits are free of charge, though in 2010 the Deficit Commission recommended
admission fees.
As approved by Congress on August 10, 1846, the legislation that created the Smithsonian
Institution called for the creation of a Board of Regents to govern and administer the organization.
This 17-member board meets at least four times a year and includes as ex officio members
the Chief Justice of the United States and the Vice President of the United States.
The nominal head of the Institution is the Chancellor, an office which has traditionally
been held by the Chief Justice.
In September 2007, the Board created the position of Chair of the Board of Regents, a position
currently held by France A. Cordova of Indiana.
Other members of the Board of Regents are three members of the U.S. House of Representatives
appointed by the Speaker of the House; three members of the Senate, appointed by the President
pro tempore of the Senate; and nine citizen members, nominated by the Board and approved
by the Congress in a joint resolution signed by the President of the United States.
Regents who are senators or representatives serve for the duration of their elected terms,
while citizen Regents serve a maximum of two six-year terms.
Regents are compensated on a part-time basis.
The chief executive officer of the Smithsonian is the Secretary, who is appointed by the
Board of Regents.
The Secretary also serves as secretary to the Board of Regents, but is not a voting
member of that body.
The Secretary of the Smithsonian has the privilege of the floor at the United States Senate.
There have been 12 Secretaries.
On September 18, 2013, Secretary G. Wayne Clough announced he would retire in October
2014.
The Smithsonian Board of Regents said it has asked regent John McCarter, Jr. to lead a
search committee.
The search committee will consist of other regents and representatives from Smithsonian
museums and centers.
On March 10, 2014, the Smithsonian Board of Directors selected Dr. David Skorton, a physician
and president of Cornell University as the 13th Secretary of the Smithsonian.
Skorton will take the reins of the institution in 2015.
Secretaries of the Smithsonian Institution Controversies
Enola Gay display
In 1995, controversy arose over the exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum associated
with display of the Enola Gay, the Superfortress used by the United States to execute the first
atomic bombing in World War II.
The American Legion and Air Force Association believed the exhibit put forward only one
side of the debate over the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and that it emphasized
the effect on the victims without the overall context of the war.
The Smithsonian changed the exhibit, displaying the aircraft only with associated technical
data and without discussion of its historic role in the war.
Censorship of "Seasons of Life and Land" In 2003, a National Museum of Natural History
exhibit, Subhankar Banerjee's Seasons of Life and Land, featuring photographs of the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge, was censored and moved to the basement by Smithsonian officials
because they feared that its subject matter was too politically controversial.
In November 2007, the Washington Post reported internal criticism has been raised regarding
the institution's handling of the exhibit on the Arctic.
According to documents and e-mails, the exhibit and its associated presentation were edited
at high levels to add "scientific uncertainty" regarding the nature and impact of global
warming on the Arctic.
Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian Cristián Samper was interviewed by the Post, and claimed
the exhibit was edited because it contained conclusions that went beyond what could be
proven by contemporary climatology.
The Smithsonian is now a participant in the U.S. Global Change Research Program.
Copyright restrictions The Smithsonian Institution provides access
to its image collections for educational, scholarly and nonprofit uses.
Commercial uses are generally restricted unless permission is obtained.
Smithsonian images fall into different copyright categories; some are protected by copyright,
many are subject to license agreements or other contractual conditions, and some fall
into the public domain, such as those prepared by Smithsonian employees as part of their
official duties.
The Smithsonian’s terms of use for its digital content, including images, are set forth on
the Smithsonian Web site.
In April 2006, the institution entered into an agreement of "first refusal" rights for
its vast silent and public domain film archives with Showtime Networks, mainly for use on
the Smithsonian Channel, a network created from this deal.
Critics contend this agreement effectively gives Showtime control over the film archives,
as it requires filmmakers to obtain permission from the network to use extensive amounts
of film footage from the Smithsonian archives.
The Smithsonian contends independent producers continue to have unchanged access to the institution
and its collections as they had prior to the agreement.
The process to gain access to film at the Smithsonian remains the same.
Since January 2006, independent producers have made more than 500 requests to film in
the museums and collections, and/or to use archival footage and photos.
Miscellany The asteroid 3773 Smithsonian, discovered
in 1984, is named in honor of the Institution.
On August 15, 2013, the curator of mammals at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural
History, Kristofer Helgen, announced the discovery of a new carnivorous mammal olinguito.
The find was the first of its kind in 35 years.
See also
List of aircraft in the Smithsonian Institution Smithsonian Ocean Portal
References
Further reading Nina Burleigh, Stranger and the Statesman:
James Smithson, John Quincy Adams, and the Making of America's Greatest Museum, The Smithsonian.
New York: HarperCollins, 2003.
Heather Ewing, The Lost World of James Smithson: Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the
Smithsonian.
Bloomsbury, 2007.
United States.
Congress.
House of Representatives.
Collections Stewardship at the Smithsonian: Hearing before the Committee on House Administration,
House of Representatives, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First Session.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2013.
William S. Walker, A Living Exhibition: The Smithsonian and the Transformation of the
Universal Museum.
Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 2013.
External links Official website
Museum locations map Smithsonian Education webpage
Smithsonian Wild web page Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press webpage
Smithsonian Collections Search Center.
Smithsonian Science Education Center A brief history of the U.S. National Museum/National
Museum of Natural History