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James Smithson - Wikipedia James Smithson (c 1765 [1] – 27 June 1829) was a British chemist and mineralogist He published numerous scientific papers for the Royal Society during the early 1800s as well as defining calamine, which would eventually be renamed after him as "smithsonite" He was the founding donor of the Smithsonian Institution, which also bears his name
Smithsonian Institution - Encyclopedia Britannica Smithsonian Institution, complex based in Washington, D C , that includes 19 museums, the National Zoo, and 14 research and education centers Often called the “nation’s attic,” the institution is the home to an extensive collection of objects reflecting the country’s history
Our History - Smithsonian Institution On August 10, 1846, the U S Senate passed the act organizing the Smithsonian Institution, which was signed into law by President James K Polk Congress authorized acceptance of the Smithson bequest on July 1, 1836, but it took another ten years of debate before the Smithsonian was founded
Smithsonian Institution - Wikipedia The James Smithson Medal, the Smithsonian Institution's highest award, was established in 1965 and is given in recognition of exceptional contributions to art, science, history, education, and technology
James Smithson: Founder of the Smithsonian Institution James Smithson wrote a draft of his Last Will and Testament in 1826 in London, only three years before he died He died on June 27, 1829, in Genoa, Italy, where he was buried in a British cemetery