By Zola Elder
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
The Smithsonian Institution (/smɪθˈsoʊniən/ smith-SOH-nee-ən), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge”. Founded on August 10, 1846, it operates as a trust instrumentality and is not formally a part of any of the three branches of the federal government. The institution is named after its founding donor, British scientist James Smithson.[7] It was originally organized as the United States National Museum, but that name ceased to exist administratively in 1967.
Called “the nation’s attic” for its eclectic holdings of 154 million items, the institution’s 19 museums, 21 libraries, nine research centers, and zoo include historical and architectural landmarks, mostly located in Washington, D.C. Additional facilities are located in Maryland, New York, and Virginia. More than 200 institutions and museums in 45 states, Puerto Rico, and Panama are Smithsonian Affiliates. Institution publications include Smithsonian and Air & Space magazines.
Almost all of the institution’s 30 million annual visitors are admitted without charge, the exception being Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, which charges an admissions fee. Its annual budget is around $1.25 billion, with two-thirds coming from annual federal appropriations. Other funding comes from the institution’s endowment, private and corporate contributions, membership dues, and earned retail, concession, and licensing revenue. As of 2021, the institution’s endowment had a total value of about $5.4 billion.
TODAY’S ALMANAC
When told by Roman officials to surrender the church’s valuables, St. Lawrence brought the city’s poor and sick. “Here is the church’s treasure,” he said. Rome didn’t find this amusing, and legend says he was put to death in A.D. 258 by being roasted on a grate, although some scholars say he was more likely beheaded. In either case, folks in southern Europe still mark this day. It is customary there to eat only cold meat in recognition of the reputed manner of his death. Fair weather on St. Lawrence’s Day presages a fair autumn.
Question of the Day
Advice of the Day
Home Hint of the Day
Word of the Day
Puzzle of the Day
Born
- James Wilson Morrice (artist) –
- Herbert Hoover (31st U.S. president) –
- Wolfgang Paul (physicist) –
- Jimmy Dean (actor, singer, & businessman) –
- Bobby Hatfield (one of the Righteous Brothers) –
- Betsy Johnson (designer) –
- Ian Anderson (musician) –
- Rosanna Arquette (actress) –
- Antonio Banderas (actor) –
- Angie Harmon (actress) –
Died
- Otto Lilienthal (German aviator whose work made a significant contribution to the success of the Wright Brothers) –
- Robert Goddard (rocket scientist) –
- Isaac Hayes (singer & songwriter) –
Events
- Missouri, the second state to be created from the Louisiana Purchase, was admitted to the Union as the 24th state–
- The Smithsonian Institution was established at the bequest of James Smithson; the reason for the bequest remains unknown–
- Alexander Graham Bell received the first long-distance phone call in Brantford, Ontario, from his father who was 8 miles away in Paris, Ontario–
- The Canadian Bill of Rights was enacted–
- President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988–
- Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as the 107th justice of the US Supreme Court–
- First Earth/Space wedding. Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, aboard the International Space Station (ISS), married Ekaterina Dmitriev, on Earth–
- For the first time in Canada, a court ordered a man to give his ex-wife monthly support payments for their dog. The man was told to pay $200 a month in alimony towards the upkeep of the couples’ St. Bernard–
Weather
- A tornado hit Coney Island, New York, causing extensive damage–
- Frost was reported in Iowa and Chicago–
- 101.3 degrees F in Kent, England–
- -136 degrees F (-93.2 degrees C) recorded at the East Antarctic Plateau in Antarctica, making it the coldest temperature on Earth on record at the time–
COURTESY www.almanac.com
