Smithsonian Founded: America's Museum Opens Its Doors
President James K. Polk signed legislation establishing the Smithsonian Institution on August 10, 1846, using a bequest from James Smithson, an English chemist who had never visited America. Smithson left his entire estate of roughly $500,000 (over $17 million today) "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 among men." Congress debated for eight years over what form the institution should take. John Quincy Adams fought to prevent it from becoming a library of worthless books. The result was a unique hybrid: part museum, part research center, part zoo, now encompassing 21 museums and the National Zoo, all free to the public.
August 10, 1846
180 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on August 10
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