In 1827 a British scientist named
James Smithson wrote a will that eventually left
his estate "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."
Indiana Jones'
gear. |
|
Established by an act of Congress
in 1846, the Institution has grown into the world's
largest museum complex and an international center
for research responsible for the preservation
and care of more than 140 million objects in 16
museums and several research facilities, archives,
and libraries, and maintains living animals in
the National Zoological
Park.
James Smithson's bequest has evolved
into a world of discovering, imagining, and remembering.
As such, the Smithsonian
Institution performs an essential role
in the cultural and scientific life of the United
States.
As a proof to Indiana Jones'
impact on America's cultural life visitors
of the Institute's National
Museum of American History in Washington
DC can see Indiana Jones' brown fedora and
battered leather jacket that actor Harrison Ford
donated in the summer of 1989.
The two Indy artifacts can be seen
on the third floor of the museum as part of the
Pop Culture section
sharing the same space with Spock's phaser
from Star Trek
the Original Series.
Indy's jacket and
fedora next to Spock. |
Under the two artifacts there is
a picture of Harrison Ford from Raiders
facing a cobra and the following description:
"Harrison Ford wore this fedora
and leather jacket in Raiders
of the Lost Ark and Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade, the 1980s adventure
films about an archaeologist who goes on quests
for lost treasures. Indiana Jones's resourceful
and ironic heroism endeared him to movie-goers.
The films sparked a widespread demand for the
kind of clothing the hero wore, and Americans
have made these symbols of adventure part of they're
daily lives."
Courtesy of the National
Museum of American History, gift of Harrison
Ford and Lucasfilm, Ltd. |