Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Smithsonian Institution
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
Smithsonian Institution
View a short history of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Hope diamond Lonnie G. Bunch III touring the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Institution
For Students
Smithsonian Institution summary
Related Questions
Read Next
Close up of a hand placing a ballot in a ballot box. Election vote voter voting
Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term?
A pet macaw. Large colourful parrot native to tropical America. Bird, companionship, bird, beak, alert, squawk. For AFA new year resolution.
11 Popular—Or Just Plain Odd—Presidential Pets
President's bingo. Guess and select to correct president based on images.
Britannica’s U.S. Presidents Bingo
Andrew Jackson delivering a speech while on his way to Washington, D.C., for his inauguration in 1829. From Harper's Weekly, 1881.
5 Remarkably Close U.S. Presidential Elections
Discover
NBA Lakers Celtics Finals Kevin Garnett shooting.
10 Great Sports Rivalries
A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England
Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
Frowning little girl. Angry annoyed
Is Body Language Universal?
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Engraving by Cosomo Colombini (d. 1812) after a Leonardo self portrait. Ca. 1500.
10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci
Orange basketball on black background and with low key lighting. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time
M17, the Swan Nebula, is a star-making cloud in the constellation Sagittarius.
How Do We Know How Far Away the Stars Are?
Moonrise over Tucson, Arizona
Why Doesn’t Arizona Observe Daylight Saving Time?

Smithsonian Institution: 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/Smithsonian-Institution
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

News •

Smithsonian Marks Women’s History Month With Exhibits and Events • Feb. 21, 2025, 12:48 AM ET (Smithsonian Institution)
Lily Gladstone’s Oscar Gowns To Be Displayed at the National Museum of the American Indian • Feb. 20, 2025, 10:15 AM ET (Smithsonian Institution)
National Museum of Asian Art Announces Its 2025 Nowruz Family Festival • Feb. 20, 2025, 1:05 AM ET (Smithsonian Institution)

Facts

Date 1846 - present
Headquarters Washington, D.C.
Related People John Quincy Adams • Kevin Young • Lonnie G. Bunch III • Bernice Johnson Reagon • I. Michael Heyman • James Renwick • Aleš Hrdlička • James Smithson • William Henry Holmes • G. Brown Goode • Leonard Carmichael • Calvert Vaux

Photos and Videos

Smithsonian Institution
Hope diamond
Lonnie G. Bunch III touring the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian Institution
View a short history of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics