Description: [edan-image:id=siris_sic_9592,size=200,left]Did you know the Smithsonian was an early adopter of the telephone? In June of 1878, a system of electronic bells and telephones was installed throughout the Smithsonian Castle. The system connected several workrooms and offices to provide instant communications within the building. At that time, there were only 187 telephone lines
Description: [view in Spanish][edan-image:id=siris_sic_6874,size=185,left]Alexander Wetmore, ornithologist and avian paleontologist, was the Smithsonian's sixth Secretary (1945-1952). As a young biologist with the U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey, Wetmore conducted extensive fieldwork in Latin America. He spent 1911 in Puerto Rico studying bird life, and later traveled through South