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The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex. We are a community of learning and an opener of doors. Join us on a voyage of discovery. Explore our vast digital resources and learn online.
The Smithsonian Institution (/ s m ɪ θ ˈ s oʊ n i ə n / smith-SOH-nee-ən), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge."
The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo—shaping the future by preserving heritage, discovering new knowledge, and sharing our resources with the world.
Our History. The Smithsonian Institution was established with funds from James Smithson (1765–1829), a British scientist who left his estate to the United States to found “at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge .”.
Deep Time Exhibit Takeover! Join us Saturday, July 13, for a special fossil-focused adventure! Learners of all ages can touch and hold real fossils, engage with educators and experts, create a fossil rubbing, and decorate a pendant to take home. Learn More.
Jun 25, 2024 · Smithsonian Institution, research institution founded by the bequest of James Smithson, an English scientist who had stipulated in his will that if his heir died without issue, his remaining assets should be given to the United States for the ‘increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.’
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History preserves our nation’s collections and tells a full and complex history of the United States.
