Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
James Smithson
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Videos
View a short history of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Related Questions
Read Next
Blackboard inscribed with scientific formulas and calculations in physics and mathematics
The World Science Festival’s Pioneers in Science
Laboratory glassware (beakers)
5 Quizzes That Will Tell You Whether You Should Have Been a Scientist
Above the clouds 130 nautical miles below, astronaut Mark C. Lee floats freely without tethers as he tests the new Simplified Aid for Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Spacewalk Rescue (SAFER) system, Sept. 16, 1994. Space Shuttle Discovery, STS-64
Gravity: From Apples to the Universe
Discover
Ice Sledge Hockey, Hockey Canada Cup, USA (left) vs Canada, 2009. UBC Thunderbird Arena, Vancouver, BC, competition site for Olympic ice hockey and Paralympic ice sledge hockey. Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver Olympics
10 Best Hockey Players of All Time
Data analysis of the Super Bowl's "winningest" teams, game locations, MVP winners by position, teams with the most game losses. football, sports, infographic
From Sport to Spectacle: The History of the Super Bowl
In this aerial photo, structures are damaged and destroyed October 15, 2005 in Balakot, Pakistan. It is estimated that 90% of the city of Balakot was leveled by the earthquake. The death toll in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005 is believed to be 38,000 with at least 1,300 more dead in Indian Kashmir. SEE CONTENT NOTES.
6 of the World’s Deadliest Natural Disasters
Attack on Pearl Harbor. December 7, 1941. Pearl Harbor infographic. World War II. Hawaii. United States. Japan. SPOTLIGHT VERSION
Attack on Pearl Harbor Timeline
Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson
Vietnam War Timeline
King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)
9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes
Secret Service Agent Listens To Earpiece
Secret Service Code Names of 11 U.S. Presidents

James Smithson: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/James-Smithson
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Born 1765 • Paris • France
Died June 27, 1829 (aged 64) • Genoa • Italy

Videos

View a short history of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
See All Videos →
Calvert Vaux
British architect
Cecil Rhodes
Cecil Rhodes
prime minister of Cape Colony
John Ruskin
John Ruskin
English writer and artist
Lord Rayleigh, engraving by R. Cottot.
Lord Rayleigh
British scientist
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn
Belgian-born British actress
Anna Wintour
Anna Wintour
British editor
Sir Sigmund Sternberg
British philanthropist and entrepreneur
Mo Ibrahim
Sudanese-British entrepreneur
William Richard Morris, Viscount Nuffield
British industrialist
Sir Moses Montefiore.
Sir Moses Montefiore, Baronet
British philanthropist
William Legge, 2nd earl of Dartmouth
British statesman
Kahn, Otto Hermann
Otto Hermann Kahn
American businessman
Annenberg, Walter H.,
Walter H. Annenberg
American publisher and philanthropist
Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, detail from a sketch by Sir John Watson Gordon
Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, Baronet
British astronomer
Frederic David Mocatta
British philanthropist and historian
Caroline Chisholm
Australian philanthropist
Sir Wilfred Grenfell
Sir Wilfred Grenfell
British missionary
Thomas Brattle
North American entrepreneur
Raikes, detail of an oil painting by George Romney; in the National Portrait Gallery, London
Robert Raikes
British philanthropist
Calouste Gulbenkian
British financier, industrialist, and philanthropist