While he never visited America during his lifetime, James Smithson was eventually acquainted with his beneficiary in 1904 – 75 years after his death. When Smithsonian officials in DC were told Smithson’s gravesite was to be disturbed to make way for a nearby quarry expansion, the decision was made to move his casket from Genoa in Italy to the Smithsonian Institution Building, also known as "the Castle."

The first of the institution’s sites to be completed, Smithsonian Castle was designated a National Museum in 1858. After traveling for a fortnight by ship, Smithson’s remains were reinterred here and placed in a crypt (pictured), where they have been open to the public ever since.

Fascinating facts you never knew about the Smithsonian