Deeper Dive: Smithson’s Gamble: The Incredible History Behind the World’s Largest Museum with Smithsonian Curator Emeritus Tom Crouch

Tom D. Crouch, a Smithsonian veteran of almost 45 years, paints a robust picture of a unique American establishment and its lasting legacies in his book Smithson’s Gamble.

Follow the fascinating growth and development of the world’s largest museum and research complex during its first 60 years. Told in rich detail, Smithson’s Gamble reveals how the Smithsonian, as it defined a role rooted in curiosity and exploration, helped shape the nation’s developing identity.

The Smithsonian evolved from a small, narrowly focused organization into an institution leading the way in fields from astrophysics to zoology. Smithsonian researchers and the hundreds of citizen scientists they recruited created a collection documenting the natural and human history of a continent. The American conservation movement and a national weather service are rooted at the Smithsonian.

Smithson’s Gamble is filled with fascinating characters, twists and turns, and moments of triumph and tragedy, complete with political machinations, a bit of backstabbing, accusations of murder, and the occasional scandal.