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In his will, James Smithson, an English scientist, gave the funds for the Smithsonian to the United States in 1846. The collections are a resource to the nation for history, the arts and science. During two trips to Washington, we visited less than half of the Smithsonian museums, and left wanting more. There is so much to see and learn from this incredible collection of discoveries and creations of human civilization. |
Washington,
D.C. means free museums--thanks to the Smithsonian Institution, the
largest museum complex in the world. With 14 museums and a zoo in
DC, and more than 140 million artifacts and specimens, there is more
than anyone can see one visit to the nation's capitol.) Rob
and Harrison went to the Information Age exhibit at the
Museum of American History, where they saw this "dinosaur"
of a computer--the Osborne 01. Rob bought the first one in Utah
way back in 1981. It was the world's first portable computer, built like
a sewing machine case and made to fit under an airline seat. It would
hardly be considered portable today at 17 pounds! Still, the Osborne 01
was the first to introduce the concept of portable computers. |
Air
and Space : The National Air and Space Museum Story of Flight |
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We especially liked the hands-on section "How Things Fly," where you can learn how moving air and the shape of an airplane wing creates lift, and other things, with more than a dozen hands-on stations and demonstrations. Harrison participated in a paper airplane contest too. |
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) At
the Museum of Natural History, Harrison got a glimpse at
the famous blue Hope Diamond. "It seemed weird to have
a fancy necklace in the Natural History Museum, but it was in the gems
and minerals section. It was once much larger, but many karats have been
cut from it to disguise it after being stolen many times. Someone eventually
donated it to the Smithsonian." |
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"At the Postal Museum we learned about Owney, a dog who walked into the Albany New York Post Office in 1888. He fell asleep on some mail bags and the clerks let him stay. Owney was soon riding mail bags across the country with the Railway Mail Service (RMS). His popularity grew with the postal clerks, who began to give Owney "medals," for his travels. They put tags from mailbags on his collar. Eventually, his collar became so heavy that one postmaster gave him a sweater to wear all his medals on. Owney traveled with the RMS for more than 10 years."--Amanda |
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) Harrison
says,"Here I learned about Direct Mail. Your local Direct Mail
Service takes your name, likes, dislikes, position on the globe, etc.
and puts it in a database. Then, when they send an e-mail that is to 'whom
it may concern', it is sent to people that have the same personalities
as the letter!" |
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Today's pianos are much more complex and durable, with iron frames that hold 30,000 pounds of pull; equal to 8 cars hanging from one cable. Before recordings, radio or TV, pianos were the main source of entertainment for most middle-class American families. "The social importance of the piano is beyond all question far greater than of any other instrument of music. . ." --Report of the Jury on Musical Instruments, Crystal Palace Exhibition, London, 1851 |
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)
)
 Recommend
a Face |
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James
Louis Macie Smithson
John
Henry
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For Younger Readers |
For Older Readers |
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PLEASE DONATE GENEROUSLY TO HELP THE VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA
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