Welcome to game 12 of Fascinating Facts. This game is dedicated to some of the obscure facts about the Smithosonian Institute. Below you will find 4 questions related to the institute.

Please answer the questions to the best of your ability and please answer all 4 questions. This game will remain open through June 13th, with the results posted on the 14th. On the 14th we will also post some additional facts about the Smithsonian that you may not know. As with all the Fascinating Games we ask that you do not post the answers to the questions in your comments in consideration of other game players. We encourage you to post any other facts that you may know about the Smithsonian or your experiences at the museum if you have had the chance to visit. We will post another poll for you to decide on which topic you would like to see for the next game on the 14th.

For all that participated in our previous games we wish to thank you and hope that you are enjoying this series. If you have not done so, you may view the results of game 11 (WWII) at the following link:

 http://ttruth3829683.newsvine.com/_news/2012/06/07/12105165-fascinating-facts-game-11-results-wwii

Smithsonian Institute Background Information:

In June, 1829, in Genoa, Italy, English scientist James Smithson died after a long illness, leaving behind a will with a peculiar footnote. In the event that his only nephew died without any heirs, Smithson decreed that the whole of his estate would go to "the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." Smithson's curious bequest to a country that he had never visited aroused significant attention on both sides of the Atlantic. Educated at Pembroke College, Oxford, James Smithson went on to conduct research in chemistry, mineralogy and geology. Based on his chemical analysis of calamines, a carbonate of zinc was renamed smithsonite in his honor in 1832.

Six years after his death, his nephew, Henry James Hungerford, indeed died without children, and on July 1, 1836, the U.S. Congress authorized acceptance of Smithson's gift. President Andrew Jackson sent diplomat Richard Rush to England to negotiate for transfer of the funds, and two years later Rush set sail for home with 11 boxes containing a total of 104,960 gold sovereigns, eight shillings, and seven pence, as well as Smithson's mineral collection, library, scientific notes, and personal effects.

After considering a series of recommendations, including the creation of a national university, a public library, or an astronomical observatory, Congress agreed that the bequest would support the creation of a museum, a library, and a program of research, publication, and collection in the sciences, arts, and history. Maybe the most known artifact at the museum is the Hope Diamond.

1) After Richard Rush returned from England wih the gold from Smithsons estate it was melted down. Once melted down it amounted to a fortune worth approximately how much?

2) The act establishing the Smithsonian Institution was signed into law by what president?

3) Today, the Smithsonian is composed of 19 museums and galleries and many research facilities throughout the United States and the world. There are also 9 research institutes and a zoo. Several of the museums are located in Washington DC. How many of the museums are on the national mall?

4) There are over 140,000,000 specimens and objects owned or on load to the Smithsonian. How much of these are on display at any one time for public viewing?

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