In January 1836 James Smithson, an obscure English amateur scientist who had never been to America, died and bequeathed $500,000 ($11 million in today’s dollars) to the U.S. government for science.
Selfless, random, forward-thinking, generous, thought-provoking, legendary – Smithson is worthy of American Idol status. Smithson wasn’t prescriptive in any way about the execution of his final wishes. Here’s some money, spend it on science. A complete stranger did America an incredibly-enduring solid: Put his money where his mouth is – from the grave.