Welcome to America's Smithsonian, an exhibition celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Smithsonian Institution. In 1827 an Englishman named James Smithson wrote a will that eventually left his estate "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." 

Established by an act of Congress in 1846, the Institution has grown into the world's largest museum complex and an international center for research. The Smithsonian preserves and cares for more than 150 million objects in 16 museums and several research facilities, archives, and libraries, and maintains living animals in the National Zoological Park. It is our country's treasure house, reflecting the diversity and complexity of our world. 

America's Smithsonian contains a selection of the Institution's most treasured objects. Each has a compelling story to tell. Many are testaments to significant historical events and unique human achievements. Some help us understand the everyday lives of past generations, reminding us that the objects we use today will become treasures in the future. Others are works of incalculable artistic value, revealing the imagination and creativity of the human spirit. Still others aid us in discovering and solving nature's puzzles so that we can better understand our place within the physical universe. 

James Smithson's bequest has evolved into a world of discovering, imagining, and remembering. As such, the Smithsonian Institution performs an essential role in the cultural and scientific life of the United States. It furthers every American's desire to commemorate personal and public experiences, to savor objects of extraordinary beauty, and to acquire greater understanding of ourselves and the world around us. 

The philosophy behind the Smithsonian Home Page has been to make its content available to the maximum number of people. This site, which is based on the traveling exhibition which celebrated our 150th Anniversary, maintains this standard but adds to it interactivity and perspective only available with the coming broadband age. 

Many individuals and organizations have contributed to this site. We want to recognize Discover Card who sponsored the site. We also want to thank Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Microsoft, and KEI who donated and set up a server complex powerful enough to serve the site and the existing Homepage material. IBM donated the hardware and software for the Online Collection Search. Finally, we want to thank all of the employees of the Smithsonian who participated in our "barn raising" and gave generously of their time and talents to produce the site. This effort would have been impossible without them.