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The Smithsonian is an American treasure with its museums, the National Zoo, the tropical research station in Panama, astrophysical observatory and many other cultural, scientific and historical resources.
But did you know that the thanks for the massive institution go to a British man who never visited the United States?
James Smithson was a wealthy British scientist who was especially interested in chemistry and minerals. Three years before he died in 1829, he wrote in his will that his closest relative, a nephew, would inherit his estate, which was worth more than $13 million in today’s dollars. However, if his nephew didn’t have children, the money would go to the United States and the creation of “an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.” He declared the place would be called the Smithsonian.
– Ronald Reagan
June 27
1778 – The Liberty Bell is returned to Philadelphia from Northampton Town (now Allentown) where it is hidden until after the British depart following the Revolutionary War.
1833 – Prudence Crandall, a white woman, is arrested for conducting an academy for black females at Canterbury, Connecticut.
1893 – The New York stock market crashes. By the end of the year 600 banks and 74 railroads have gone out of business. This is why the period of time following the stock market crash of 1929 is called the “Great” Depression.
1922 – The first Newbery Medal for the year’s best children’s book is presented to Hendrik Van Loon for “The Story of Mankind.” The award is named for the eighteenth-century English bookseller John Newbery.
This Week in History: June 26-July 2, 2017
for human events ever resemble those of preceding times.”
Machiavelli
June 26
1721 – Dr. Zabdiel Boylston of Massachusetts gives the first untested smallpox inoculation in America to his own son.
1797 – Charles Newbold patents the first cast-iron plow. He can’t sell it to farmers because they fear the effects of iron on soil.
1870 – The Christian holiday of Christmas is declared a federal holiday in the U.S.
1900 – U.S. Army physician Dr. Walter Reed begins research that, in 1901, leads to the discovery of how to beat Yellow Fever. His experiments with other doctors in Cuba prove that mosquitoes transmit Yellow Fever.
SMITHSONIAN CASTLE AND GARDENS – The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. comprised of 19 museums and the National Zoo plus other research centers located throughout the U.S. and beyond, has gone virtual with online learning and exhibits for students and teachers during the pandemic. Courtesy Photo by the Smithsonian Institute
BY LAURIE HANSON • December 30, 2020
Unity and enlightenment in challenging times is brought to the nation and world through online education with the Smithsonian Institution.
“The Smithsonian has the power to bring people together,” said Ashely Naranjo, who serves as museum educator at the Smithsonian’s Office of the Under Secretary for Education in Washington, D.C., and has been with them since 2011.