The Hungerford Deed

When a 200-year-old legal document anonymously arrived at his office, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives conservator William Bennett assumed it would be full of boring legal jargon. Instead, he found a juicy tale of family betrayal that would forever change what we thought we knew about the founding of the Smithsonian. Speakers: William Bennett, conservator at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries and Archives Social: @rwilliab (Instagram), @SirWilliamB (Twitter) Heather Ewing, author of The Lost World of James Smithson, and Associate Dean at New York Studio School Social: @HPealeEwing Richard Kurin, Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar and Ambassador-at-Large

Om Podcasten

More than 154 million treasures fill the Smithsonian’s vaults, but where public view ends, Sidedoor begins. With the help of biologists, artists, historians, archaeologists, zookeepers and astrophysicists, host Lizzie Peabody sneaks listeners through Smithsonian’s side door to search for stories that can’t be found anywhere else. Check out si.edu/sidedoor and follow @SidedoorPod for more info.