Smithsonian magazine is a monthly magazine created for modern, well-rounded individuals with diverse interests. It chronicles the arts, history, sciences and popular culture of the times. Each subscription includes a complimentary membership to the Smithsonian Institution.

About Smithsonian Institution:

The Smithsonian Institution (pronounced /smɪθˈsəʊniən/) is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazine. Most of its facilities are located in Washington, D.C., but its 19 museums, zoo, and eight research centers include sites in New York City, Virginia, Panama, and elsewhere. It has over 142 million items in its collections.

A monthly magazine published by the Smithsonian Institution is also named Smithsonian.

The Smithsonian Police protects the visitors, staff and property of the museums.

Smithsonian Networks is a new multiplatform network that uses Smithsonian archives and resources to create original HD programming. (wikipedia.org)

Smithsonian'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 among men."

The motives behind Smithson’s bequest remain mysterious. He never traveled to the United States and seems to have had no correspondence with anyone here. Some have suggested that his bequest was motivated in part by revenge against the rigidities of British society, which had denied Smithson, who was illegitimate, the right to use his father’s name. Others have suggested it reflected his interest in the Enlightenment ideals of democracy and universal education.

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

Read Smithsonian Magazine, October 2008 Online

HTML Online Edition.

Features
New Light on Stonehenge
The first dig in 44 years within the inner circle changes our view of why—and even when—the monument was built

The Druids arrived around 4 p.m. Under a warm afternoon sun, the group of eight walked slowly, to the beat of a single drum, from the visitor's entrance toward the looming, majestic stone monument. With the pounding of the drum growing louder, the retinue approached the outer circle of massive stone trilithons—each made up of two huge pillars capped by a stone lintel—and passed through them to the inner circle. Here they were greeted by Timothy Darvill, 50, professor of archaeology at Bournemouth University, and Geoffrey Wainwright, 70, president of the Society of Antiquaries of London. ...

The Secret of San Luis Valley
The discovery of a cancer gene among some Hispanic Catholics in southern Colorado supports the theory that they're descended from "secret Jews" who fled the Spanish Inquisition

Inside Iran's Fury
Scholars trace the nation's antagonism to its history of domination by foreign powers

The Last Doughboy
He lied about his age to serve in World War I. Today, at 107, he says he feels an "obligation" as America's only living link to the great conflict

Bernini's Genius
The Baroque master animated 17th-century Rome with his astonishing sculpture and architecture

Farewell to the King?
For the first time there's no fishing for chinook salmon on the California coast. The search is on for why the prize catch is so scarce.

Comments (0)

Name

Email

Comment

smaller | bigger

Add Comment