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Today in History, August 10th

On August 10, 1846, President Polk signed the law creating the Smithsonian Institution. Plus the Louvre's opening and Ruth Bader Ginsburg's swearing-in.

By Today in History Updated November 10, 2026 3 min read Sources checked

Japanese-Americans-internment-camp — Japanese Americans at an internment camp during World War II

Published August 10, 2026 · Last updated November 10, 2026

August 10 is best known for 1846, when President James K. Polk signed the law creating the Smithsonian Institution, paid for by an English scientist who never set foot in America. The date also saw the Louvre open in Paris as a public museum in 1793 and Ruth Bader Ginsburg sworn in to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1993.

The big story: Congress creates the Smithsonian Institution (1846)

James Smithson was an English scientist who studied minerals and chemistry who died in Italy in 1829 without ever visiting the U.S. His will held a twist: if his nephew died with no heirs, the estate would go to the United States to found an institution in Washington, bearing his name, devoted to spreading knowledge. The nephew died childless six years later. Congress agreed to take the gift in 1836, and diplomat Richard Rush brought home 104,960 gold sovereigns packed in 11 boxes, along with Smithson’s minerals, books and notes. Melted down, the gold was worth well over $500,000. Then came about a decade of arguing over what to do with it, with ideas ranging from a national university to an observatory. The compromise, signed by Polk on August 10, 1846, funded a museum, a library and a research program. The Smithsonian grew into a family of museums, research centers and the National Zoo, and Smithson himself is entombed in its original building, nicknamed the “Castle.”

More events on August 10

Year	What happened
1776	Word reached London that the American colonies had adopted a Declaration of Independence.
1793	France’s revolutionary government opened the Louvre, a former royal palace in Paris, as a public museum.
1927	President Calvin Coolidge rode in on horseback to dedicate Mount Rushmore, two months before the carving began.
1937	George Beauchamp received a U.S. patent for an electric guitar, the Rickenbacker “Frying Pan.”
1939	The Wizard of Oz premiered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, about two weeks before its wide U.S. release.
1945	One day after the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan agreed to the Allies’ Potsdam terms for unconditional surrender.
1977	Police arrested David Berkowitz, the “Son of Sam” killer who had terrorized New York City.
1981	Pete Rose got his 3,631st hit, breaking Stan Musial’s National League record.
1984	Red Dawn opened as the first movie released with a PG-13 rating.
1993	Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as the second woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
2003	The United Kingdom recorded a temperature above 100°F for the first time, during a European heat wave that killed more than 35,000 people.

Born on August 10

1874: Herbert Hoover, U.S. president, born in West Branch, Iowa.
1960: Antonio Banderas, Spanish actor, born in Málaga.
1962: Suzanne Collins, author of the Hunger Games novels, born in Hartford, Connecticut.