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, the estate should go "to the United
States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the
Smithsonian Institution, an
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, 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."
