The founder of which famous museum never visited the country where the museum was established?

The Smithsonian museums are incredibly interesting and packed full of educational artifacts. Money well spent!

JQ Adam's deserves more recognition than he gets.

I can’t believe they actually put the money towards something so great and wonderful I would have thought they would squander it.... the best thing is that it is free!

Leave it to the government to lose the money

BlueQ, well..they did squander it, John Q. Adams forced them to repay it!

HipsterPixie12592, He certainly does! He was an absolute hero! He single-handedly saved the legacy of the Smithson family, giving us the beloved Smithsonian institution.

I lived and worked in DC for 10 years and went to every museum multiple times. The MOA and Natural History were my favorite.

Player Meyer, it’s all free. No admission fees.

BlueQ, they DID squander it originally. But John Q. Adam's made them do the right thing and pay it back with interest.

Player Meyer, I think it is very unique to visit all the buildings of the Smithsonian without charge. I hope we make our 5th visit soon with plenty of time to explore.

BlueQ, They did. Arkansas squandered it and later it was reimbursed with interest.

Has Congress been guilty of mishandling funds forever? In the 1830's, Congress invested the original Smithsonian museum legacy in shady investments & LOST the entire legacy! Since Congress argued for years about what the legacy instructions meant, were they buying time to figure out how to "lose" it in the stock market for their own personal gain??? Then they quickly 'appropriated' tax funds to build it.

The Smithsonian museums are a treasure 👍🏻

Player Meyer, and in the back rooms of this famous museum are important items that our government does not want the public to see.