Description: The Smithsonian was established in 1846 as a public trust by an act of Congress that also created a Board of Regents charged with establishing an institution “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.” Find out more about how the Smithsonian is organized and governed in the pages below.
Description: [view in Spanish] Smithsonian scientists have a long history of collaborative research in the Caribbean. In 1914 a Smithsonian expedition traveled to western Cuba and the Colorados reefs to study land and marine geology, flora, and fauna. John Brooks Henderson, a member of the Smithsonian's Board of Regents, had collected marine mollusks in southern Florida and wanted a