Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution is a group of museums, education and research centers created by the United States federal government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". It was founded on August 10, 1846, and is named after James Smithson, a British scientist who donated money to start it. Although it works closely with the government, it is not officially part of any government branch.

The Smithsonian today includes over 21 museums, 21 libraries, 14 research centers, a zoo, and many important historical buildings. Most of these are located in Washington, D.C., with others in Maryland, New York, and Virginia. There are also many Smithsonian Affiliates in 47 states, Puerto Rico, and Panama.

The Smithsonian holds more than 157 million objects and artworks, making it one of the largest museum systems in the world. Almost all of its 30 million visitors each year can enter for free, except at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City, which charges a small fee. The institution’s budget is around $1.25 billion each year, with most money coming from the government, and extra support from donations, membership fees, and sales from its shops.

Founding

The Smithsonian Institution began with a group of people in Washington who wanted to share useful knowledge. They formed a group called the Columbian Institute in 1816. They planned to study plants, minerals, and more, but ran out of money.

The institution that became the Smithsonian was named after James Smithson, a British scientist. When his nephew died without children in 1835, Smithson left his money to the United States to create a place for learning and sharing knowledge. Congress accepted this gift in 1836. After many discussions, President James K. Polk signed the law creating the Smithsonian Institution on August 10, 1846. It was set up as a trust to be managed by a Board of Regents and a secretary.

Development

The Smithsonian Institution started with a goal to be a center for scientific research and also became a place to keep many collections from the U.S. government. These included items from trips around the world and surveys of the American West, such as plants, animals, rocks, and cultural objects.

Construction began on the main Smithsonian building, called "the Castle," in 1849. Over time, the Smithsonian grew by adding many museums and buildings. The first new museum building was the Arts and Industries Building, which opened in 1881. Other museums followed, including the National Zoological Park in 1889 and the National Museum of Natural History in 1911. More museums opened over the years, such as the Freer Gallery in 1923 and the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2016.

Museums

Main article: List of Smithsonian museums

The Smithsonian Institution has nineteen museums and galleries, including the National Zoological Park. Eleven of these museums are located on the National Mall, a park in Washington, D.C., between the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Capitol. Additional museums can be found in other parts of Washington, D.C., New York City, and Chantilly, Virginia.

The Smithsonian works with 168 museums across 39 states, Panama, and Puerto Rico. These museums borrow items from the Smithsonian for displays. The Smithsonian also travels exhibitions around the country.

Collections

The Smithsonian holds a huge collection of more than 156 million items, such as artworks, artifacts, and specimens. The National Museum of Natural History keeps many of these items, mostly preserved animals. You can search 9.9 million digital records online. The Smithsonian also has a big library and archives.

Some famous items in the museums include the Star-Spangled Banner, President Abraham Lincoln's hat, the ruby slippers from The Wizard Of Oz, and the original Teddy Bear named after President Theodore Roosevelt. In 2016, the Air & Space museum restored a large model of the starship Enterprise from the Star Trek TV series.

In 2022, the Smithsonian changed its rules to return items that were collected unfairly. That same year, artworks called Benin Bronzes were returned to Nigeria.

Open access

In February 2020, the Smithsonian began sharing 2.8 million digital items online for everyone to use freely, with plans to share more in the future.

Research centers

The Smithsonian has eight research centers in different places such as Washington, D.C.; Front Royal, Virginia; Edgewater, Maryland; Suitland, Maryland; Fort Pierce, Florida; Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Panama. In 2020, the Smithsonian Libraries and Smithsonian Archives joined together to become one research center.

Cultural centers

The Smithsonian Institution includes three cultural centers:

• Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
• Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
• Smithsonian Latino Center

The Smithsonian Latino Center was created in 1997 to recognize the contributions of Latino people to the arts, history, science, and culture across all Smithsonian museums and research centers. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution and is led by an executive director.

The center began after a report showed that Latino contributions were not well represented at the Smithsonian. Over time, it has grown to support research, exhibitions, educational programs, and online content. It also offers leadership programs for Latino young people, helping them become future leaders in arts and culture.

Publications

The Smithsonian Institution publishes Smithsonian magazine every month and Air & Space Quarterly. The Smithsonian magazine started when a leader of the Smithsonian asked a former editor of Life magazine to create a publication about topics the Smithsonian cares about. Another leader later started Air & Space magazine, which was published every two months from 1986 to 2022.

The Smithsonian also publishes books and scholarly works through different publishing names.

Awards

The Smithsonian gives special awards to people who do great work. The James Smithson Medal is the highest award and is given for amazing work in art, science, history, education, and technology. Another award, the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal, goes to people who help make big steps in areas that the Smithsonian cares about.

There are other awards too, like the Hodgkins Medal for helping us understand nature better, and the Langley Gold Medal for important studies about flying aircraft and aviation.

Administration

The Smithsonian Institution was created by an act of Congress and operates as a trust. Most of its workers are federal government employees. The Smithsonian Institution Office of Protection Services helps keep the Smithsonian safe and follows rules for the National Capital Parks with the United States Park Police.

In 2011, the president’s budget asked for almost $800 million to support the Smithsonian. Its exhibits are free, but there were suggestions to charge admission fees in 2010.

Congress approved the creation of the Smithsonian on August 10, 1846, and set up a Board of Regents to manage it. This board has seventeen members and meets at least four times a year. It includes the chief justice of the United States and the vice president of the United States. In 2007, the board added a chair position, currently held by Risa Lavizzo-Mourey.

Other board members include three members from the U.S. House of Representatives, three from the Senate, and nine citizen members chosen by the board and approved by Congress. Senators and representatives serve while they hold their positions, and citizen members can serve up to two six-year terms.

The Smithsonian’s top leader is called the secretary, chosen by the Board of Regents. The secretary is currently Lonnie Bunch, who began in 2019 after leading the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Current Board of Regents

The current board members as of August 4, 2025^[update]:

Secretaries of the Smithsonian Institution

The following persons have served as secretary of the Smithsonian Institution:

Controversies

In 1995, there was a disagreement about an exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum showing the Enola Gay, the airplane used to drop the first atomic bomb during World War II. Some groups thought the exhibit only told one side of the story, so the Smithsonian changed it to focus more on facts about the airplane itself.

In 2003, an exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History with photographs of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was moved to a less visible area because some people thought the topic was too political. Later, there were questions about how the exhibit talked about changes in the Arctic climate.

The Smithsonian has rules about who can use its images and films. Some images can be used freely, while others need permission, especially for commercial purposes. In 2006, the Smithsonian made an agreement with a television network for use of its film archives.

In March 2025, a presidential order asked for a review of Smithsonian content to ensure it followed certain ideas about American history. By August 2025, the White House asked the Smithsonian to review all its public content, including exhibits and social media, to check its tone and alignment with American values. No major changes have been announced yet.