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Explore the history of the Smithsonian Institution with the Archives' wide range of online exhibits.

Get to know Spencer Baird, Secretary and naturalist who nurtured the new U.S. National Museum; travel on expeditions with early Smithsonian researchers; tour the U.S. National Museum in 1886; read historic postcards sent by visitors; learn about Smithsonian staff who were also artists; and trace the history of the National Museum of Natural History which has just celebrated its centennial. For additional information on the history of the Smithsonian, visit Resources on the History of the Smithsonian.

150 Years of Smithsonian Research in Latin America Explore Latin American with early Smithsonian scientists in Central and South America, as Alexander Wetmore studies the bird of Panama and Agnes Chase collects the plants of Argentina.    
A Tale of Two Sisters Why would an English chemist donate his fortune to the United States, a newly formed country he had never visited? We will likely never know exactly why in 1826 James Smithson chose to bequeath more than half a million dollars to create the Smithsonian Institution.  
African American Groundbreakers at the Smithsonian: Challenges and Achievements Learn about the contributions African American employees at the Smithsonian have made to the Institution and the challenges they have faced.  
Artists at Work Meet Smithsonian curators who were not only researchers but also talented artists.  
Baird's Dream: Learn about the Smithsonian's first United States National Museum building, now called Arts and Industries, which opened in 1881, and the man who helped shape the Smithsonian’s future, Spencer Fullerton Baird.   
Smithson to Smithsonian The Smithsonian Institution is celebrating 175 years of the “increase and diffusion of knowledge.” Join us in exploring our history. What can we learn from looking back? How might the stories of the past put our present in a new light?  
' /> Greetings from the Smithsonian A historic look at the Smithsonian Institution through the picture postcard.  
' /> Joseph Henry Joseph Henry (1797-1878), a physicist, was selected as the first Secretary of the Smithsonian and set it on its course. Learn about his scientific research and goals for the new Institution.  
The Megatherium Club Learn about the Megatherium Club, named after a giant extinct sloth that once roamed South America, which consisted of an eccentric group of young naturalists aiming to understand the natural world, and build the Smithsonian’s collection in the mid to late 1800s.   
Smokey Bear You might know Smokey Bear, the character, but get to know the real Smokey Bear who lived at Smithsonian's National Zoo.    
Smithsonian in Wartime Learn about the Smithsonian's response to wars the United States was engaged in.  
Stories from the Smithsonian Get to know the people who have shaped the Smithsonian since its founding in 1846, through their letters, diaries, oral histories and photographs.  
Oral Histories of the Smithsonian As part of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative, meet a few women in science who have broken gender barriers at the Smithsonian and in their respective fields.