Graphical timeline from Smithson to Smithsonian
From Smithson to Smithsonian - The Birth of an InstitutionSmithson's Legacy

Introduction
Who Was James Smithson?
Sccepting Smithson's Gift
All-American Compromise
The Smithsonian Building
An Institution Emerges
 A National Collection
Smithson's Legacy
The Smithsonian's 150th

On the occasion of the 150th-anniversary of the Smithsonian Institution, museums and offices around the Institution cooperated in a year-long celebration. This online presentation is based on the 150th-anniversary exhibition which appeared in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries' Gallery from June 1996 through January 1997.


Hoisting the Bell, August 10, 1996
ZoomEnlargement 		On August 10, 1996, the Smithsonian Institution held a gala birthday party on the National Mall to celebrate the 150th-anniversary of the legislation establishing the Institution in 1846. A bell cast for the occasion was hoisted into tower of the Smithsonian Building (Castle) in the opening ceremonies, and the day concluded with a colorful fireworks display on the Castle grounds.

Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife
ZoomEnlargement

Thank you for viewing the Smithsonian Institution Libraries' online exhibition, From Smithson to Smithsonian: The Birth of an Institution. We hope you enjoyed it.

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