America's attic

The briefing

A Spokesman-Review graphic feature marks 180 years since the founding of the Smithsonian Institution on Aug. 10, 1846. British scientist James Smithson left his estate to a country he had never visited, and after his nephew died childless the United States received 105 sacks holding gold worth more than $18 million today. Eight years of congressional wrangling and a defaulted Arkansas bond investment followed before the red sandstone Smithsonian castle opened in 1855.