The late 18th century saw a heated debate between the Northern and Southern states over where to place the seat of the newly formed Federal government.-1n 1791 a compro&e was reached and the new capitol was cawed out of parts of Maryland and Virginia. The design of the city, the first to be planned exclusively by a nation for its seat of government, was given to Major Pierre Charles L'Enfaut, a French engineer who served in the ~ e v o l u h a r yWar. Because 1 of controversy over his grandiose plan, surveyor Andrew Elliot and mathematician Beniamin Bannekw took over the project. Thc ceremonial lnvout of thr city rcsembles paris, and the grandeur of i t s buildinas clearly show L'Enfant's impact on w&hington. D.C. There was a time when the ;his tube was used by William Roentgen C. 1896 in his experiments. It is on display at The National population of the Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution. Photo by Paul S. Cohen. dropped in the summer months, as the weather can be very hot and humid, but with the advent interestmg features is the muscum's Insect Zoo with of air conditioning the weather is not as much of a problem. hands-on exhibits. The shows at this facilitv arc Surdcrs!. The variety of attractions available rivals any city in the and Sacred Mountains of the World. world, and most are free and opened to the public seven The National Museum of American History exhibits days a week. We are highlighting sites that have a science the nation's scientific, technological, and cultural heritage. bent. Science-related exhibits range from the history of dentistry to Henry Ford's original Model T. Most of the science On the Mall and technology exhibits are on the fust and third floors. The newest permanent exhibit is Science in American Life. At the heart of this city is the mile-long National Mall, At this exhibit, funded by The American Chemical Soeiety, with many popular tourist sites. It is only fitting that we visitors learn of the diverse and interesting history of start at the Mall in the Smithsonian Institution, the chemistry in America. Among the issues described are raworld's largest museum complex, established in 1864 with dar development, penicillin production, building of the funds bequeathed to the United States by an English sciatomic bomb, and biotechnology. Over 900 artifacts and entist, James Smithson. Of the 14 Smithsonian Institution 600 historic photos and graphics are supplemented by 20 museums and the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., 10 computers and mechanical interactives. In addition, artiare located on the Mall and three of these are devoted to fads related to medicine, dentistry, and medical equipscience and industry ment are displayed. The symbol of the Smithsonian Institution is the 1855 At the foot of the Capitol Building is the United States Norman-style building called The Castle that now houses Botanic Garden, which was founded in 1820 by Congress the Smithsonian Visitors Information Center: Next to it is "to collect, cultivate, and grow various vegetable products the Victorian structure known as the Arts and Indusof this and other countries for exhibition and display to the tries Building that holds a major collection of Victorian public...". It is involved in the preservation of rare or enAmericana and memorabilia displayed at the 1876 Cendangered plants and in displaying economically signif~cant tennial Exhibition of Philadelphia. plants. There are both exotic and familiar plants on disThe National Air and Space Museum has 23 exhibit play in the Summer Terrace Show. areas that explore the history and development of air and space technology. The Albert Einstein Planetarium exOther Attractions in the District plores the universe. This summer this museum's IMAX One block south of the Washington Monument is the Butheater features, Wonder Weapons? TheArado 234 Blitz. reau of Engraving and Printing, which is one of the At The National Museum of Natural History the fo(Continued on page Al70) cus is on natural history and human cultures. Among the
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sites where the U.S. government designs, engraves, and prints money, bonds, and postage stamps. There is a halfhour self-guided tour through the facility. The basement of the Department of Commerce's Herbert C. Hoover Building houses T h e N a t i o n a l Aquarium. This small facility, the nation's first public aquarium, is home to 250 species from all over the world. Most of the exhibits are designed to represent natural habitats. The one hour tour through the Federal Bureau of Investigation gives the visitor an overview of the past and present operations of this agency. On view are an extensive collection of firearms and a window view of some of the forensic laboratories. There is also a live firearms demonstration. One of the lesser known gems of this city is the National Building Museum. Afairly new museum, established in 1980, it isin the landmarkPensionBuilding, designed and built by U.S. Army General and civil engineer Montgomery C. Meigs in 1885. The magnificent Great Hall of the Renaissance Revival style building has been the site of Presidential Inaugural Balls since 1885. The museum is dedicated to all aspects of building including architecture, engineering, building crafts, and urban planning. Not only are the exhibits enlighte~ngbut so is the tour of the building. This summer the special exhibit is Barn Again! an exhibit on the traditional American barn-building. The National P o r t r a i t Gallery, housed in the Old Patent Building, displays portraits of Americans who are historically important. Among the displayed portraits are a number of scientists and even a few portraits by scientists. Next to Union Station, on Massachusetts Avenue, is the newest of the Smithsonian Museums, The N a t i o n a l PostalMuseum. Besides the fine philatelic collection, the
museum features postal history On display are airmail planes, stagecoaches,postal wagons, and a variety of interactive displays. The museum explains the story of the movement of mail in America and the role of written communication in American culture. Four blocks north of the White House is the headquarters of The National Geoeranhic Societv. On the first floor is the society's museum, Kxplorer's ail, where there are exhibits of memorabilia from National Geomaohic Society sponsored expeditions and an interactive science center called Geographia. Just north of Dupont Circle is the unique little museum, The Holography World Collection. The three-dimensional appearing works are displayed along with explanations on how they are made and applications are discussed. As we move to the northwest part ofthe city we find The N a t i o n a l Zoo, another Smithsonian facility, which has evolved into a biological park displaying all forms of life. The 4,000 animals are, for the most-part, in holistic environments combining living plants, animals, museum specimens, and art. The aim is to make the visitor aware of the delicate balance of the Earth's ecosystem and how to preserve them. The National Museum o f H e a l t h a n d Medicine. located on the Walter Reed Army Medical Center grounds, was founded during the Civil War. There are exhibits covering military and civilian medical h~storyfrom the Civil War tn the Drescnt. This includes diamostic and sureical instrumen&, an extensive microsco
