In Genoa, Italy, English scientist James Smithson dies after a
long illness, leaving behind a will with a peculiar footnote. In the
event that his only nephew died without any heirs, Smithson decreed that
the whole of his estate would 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's curious bequest to a country that he had never
visited aroused significant attention on both sides of the Atlantic.
Smithson
had been a fellow of the venerable Royal Society of London from the age
of 22, publishing numerous scientific papers on mineral composition,
geology, and chemistry. In 1802, he overturned popular scientific
opinion by proving that zinc carbonates were true carbonate minerals,
and one type of zinc carbonate was later named
smithsonite in his honor.
Six
years after his death, his nephew, Henry James Hungerford, indeed died
without children, and on July 1, 1836, the U.S. Congress authorized
acceptance of Smithson's gift. President
Andrew Jackson
sent diplomat Richard Rush to England to negotiate for transfer of the
funds, and two years later Rush set sail for home with 11 boxes
containing a total of 104,960 gold sovereigns, eight shillings, and
seven pence, as well as Smithson's mineral collection, library,
scientific notes, and personal effects. After the gold was melted down,
it amounted to a fortune worth well over $500,000. After considering a
series of recommendations, including the creation of a national
university, a public library, or an astronomical observatory, Congress
agreed that the bequest would support the creation of a museum, a
library, and a program of research, publication, and collection in the
sciences, arts, and history. On August 10, 1846, the act establishing
the Smithsonian Institution was signed into law by President
James K. Polk.
Today,
the Smithsonian is composed of 19 museums including the recently
announced National Museum of African American History and Culture, nine
research centers throughout the United States and the world and the
national zoo. Besides the original Smithsonian Institution Building,
popularly known as the "Castle," visitors to
Washington, D.C.,
tour the National Museum of Natural History, which houses the natural
science collections, the National Zoological Park, and the National
Portrait Gallery. The National Museum of American History houses the
original Star-Spangled Banner and other artifacts of U.S. history. The
National Air and Space Museum has the distinction of being the most
visited museum in the world, exhibiting marvels of aviation and space
history such as the Wright brothers' plane and
Freedom 7, the
space capsule that took the first American into space. John Smithson,
the Smithsonian Institution's great benefactor, is interred in a tomb in
the Smithsonian Building.
Taken from:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/smithsons-curious-bequest [27.06.2012]
In Genoa, Italy, English scientist James Smithson dies after a
long illness, leaving behind a will with a peculiar footnote. In the
event that his only nephew died without any heirs, Smithson decreed that
the whole of his estate would 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's curious bequest to a country that he had never
visited aroused significant attention on both sides of the Atlantic.
Smithson
had been a fellow of the venerable Royal Society of London from the age
of 22, publishing numerous scientific papers on mineral composition,
geology, and chemistry. In 1802, he overturned popular scientific
opinion by proving that zinc carbonates were true carbonate minerals,
and one type of zinc carbonate was later named smithsonite in his honor.
Six
years after his death, his nephew, Henry James Hungerford, indeed died
without children, and on July 1, 1836, the U.S. Congress authorized
acceptance of Smithson's gift. President Andrew Jackson
sent diplomat Richard Rush to England to negotiate for transfer of the
funds, and two years later Rush set sail for home with 11 boxes
containing a total of 104,960 gold sovereigns, eight shillings, and
seven pence, as well as Smithson's mineral collection, library,
scientific notes, and personal effects. After the gold was melted down,
it amounted to a fortune worth well over $500,000. After considering a
series of recommendations, including the creation of a national
university, a public library, or an astronomical observatory, Congress
agreed that the bequest would support the creation of a museum, a
library, and a program of research, publication, and collection in the
sciences, arts, and history. On August 10, 1846, the act establishing
the Smithsonian Institution was signed into law by President James K. Polk.
Today,
the Smithsonian is composed of 19 museums including the recently
announced National Museum of African American History and Culture, nine
research centers throughout the United States and the world and the
national zoo. Besides the original Smithsonian Institution Building,
popularly known as the "Castle," visitors to Washington, D.C.,
tour the National Museum of Natural History, which houses the natural
science collections, the National Zoological Park, and the National
Portrait Gallery. The National Museum of American History houses the
original Star-Spangled Banner and other artifacts of U.S. history. The
National Air and Space Museum has the distinction of being the most
visited museum in the world, exhibiting marvels of aviation and space
history such as the Wright brothers' plane and Freedom 7, the
space capsule that took the first American into space. John Smithson,
the Smithsonian Institution's great benefactor, is interred in a tomb in
the Smithsonian Building.
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