(visit the website by clicking on the above sign)

In 1826, James Smithson, a British scientist, drew up his last will and testament, naming his nephew as beneficiary. Smithson stipulated that, should the nephew die without heirs (as he would in 1835), the estate should go “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 among men.”

The motives behind Smithson’s bequest remain mysterious. He never traveled to the United States and seems to have had no correspondence with anyone here. Some have suggested that his bequest was motivated in part by revenge against the rigidities of British society, which had denied Smithson, who was illegitimate, the right to use his father’s name. Others have suggested it reflected his interest in the Enlightenment ideals of democracy and universal education.

Today it is simply huge, with a number of museums lining the Mall in Washington DC and spread throughout the DC and surrounding area. Museums include: Air and Space, American History, Natural History, Indian Art and American Art just to name a few. The collection of items that the Smithsonian has is apparently so large that only a fraction is on display at any one time.

Air and Space Museum

So far (01 May 07) we've only been to the Air and Space Museum, which we visited on Christmas Eve. Carol, while not overly thrilled to be going to look at more planes, actually enjoyed herself (though she won't often admit it). Unfortunately the

Planes and flying contraptions that they have there include: the original Wright-Flyer, the Apollo 11 Capsule, the Spirit of St Louis (used to fly the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic), the first plane to break the sound barrier and many more.

Carol next to one of the Gemini Space Capsules	A lunar module that was used for moon mission training	Carol in front of the Spirit of St Louis (with X1 - sound barrier breaker in the background)	The original Wright-Flyer	The spacecraft used by the private adventure team Richard Branson was a part of
Adam in front of the Apollo 11 Command Module - not much room in there for three men	Mecury Module - tin can or at least that is what is looks like			Inside of the Apollo 11 capsule
Kylie and Carol in front of one of the Mecury Capsules

They have moved some of the display pieces from the American History Museum while it is being renovated. See if you can recognise some of the pieces below?

The top hat worn by Abraham Lincoln the night he was killed	Guess who??	There's no place like home! There's no place like home!	The first telephone used by Alexander Graham Bell - certainly a lot different to phones of today.	The most indestructible droids in the universe
		Uniform worn by George Washington	The chairs sat in by the leaders of the Union and Confederate Army's when they signed the surrender to end the Civil War	But I don't want to be a pirate - Seinfeld's puffy shirt
Which direction to home???	Tick, tick, tick

Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Center

The Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Center is located out near Dulles Airport and is a companion facility to the one located on the National Mall. It is a massive series of hangers that will allow the Smithsonian to display the thousand items of air and space artifacts that they have in their collection.

We traveled out there in January 2008 with Adam's parents for a look and they certainly do have an impressive collection of artifacts. Once again Adam could have spent hours there but moved through at a good pace to ensure peace was maintained.

They have hundreds of different aircraft on display, both military and civilian. There is also a great space display, of which the centerpiece is the Enterprise space shuttle. The Enterprise was never launched into space but was used for the glide test flights prior to the first space shuttle launch. There is also the original Boeing 707 aircraft and a Concord on display.

SR-71 with the Enterprise in the background	F-14 Tomcat - USN aircraft that has been replaced by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet	Alexander and Adam checking out the Space Shuttle		The Enola Gay - dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima
	Boeing 777 aircraft engine - Just a small one.