Myth #3: Antiquities department turned down a so-called prehistoric artifact ![]() Furthermore, aerial photographs of the site reveal a strange formation, known as the Ararat Anomaly, which some speculate is the Ark. This description has led many people to focus their search for the Ark on modern-day Mount Ararat (also known as Mount Masis and Agri Dagi), in Turkey. There is no truth to the myth that the Smithsonian did research on Mount Ararat, also suspect in the story of Noah's Ark.įine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Imagesįact: The Smithsonian has never conducted archaeological work on Mount Ararat in fact, no one knows whether the mountain is indeed the site of Noah’s Ark.īackstory: According to the Book of Genesis, after the flood, Noah’s Ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. Myth #2: Smithsonian went in search of Noah’s Ark at Mount Ararat The Hope Diamond has attracted millions of visitors to the Smithsonian over the past 50 years. “If the Smithsonian accepts the diamond,” one person wrote, “the whole country will suffer.” Museum curators, however, dismiss the idea of the stone bringing bad luck. “If the hex is supposed to affect the owners,” he said, “then the public should be having the bad luck !” While the Smithsonian was pleased to receive the jewel-the centerpiece of its mineral collections-the public was less enthusiastic. ![]() The jewel was sent to the museum by registered mail and delivered by postal worker James Todd, who suffered several misfortunes the following year-a broken leg, the deaths of both his wife and dog and the loss of his house in a fire. After McLean’s death, the diamond came into the possession of jeweler Harry Winston, who later donated it to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, in 1958. McLean’s later misfortunes-her husband ran off with another woman and later died in a sanitarium, a car struck and killed her son and her daughter died of a drug overdose-contributed to the perception that the stone was cursed. Over the years, other publications picked up the story, helping perpetuate the legend about the stone. McLean purchased the jewel-an acquisition reported in the New York Times on January 29, 1911, with a recounting of Cartier’s dark tale. Cartier created a fantastic story about the jewel’s provenance and how the stone brought grief to anyone who handled it. ![]() socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean to buy the gem. A coincidental string of unfortunate events befell its handlers.īackstory: The so-called curse originated as a marketing ploy devised by jeweler Pierre Cartier to entice Washington, D.C. Penland / Smithsonian Institutionįact: It isn’t. He used the curse as a marketing ploy to entice Evalyn Walsh McLean to buy the gem.ĭane A. The curse of the Hope Diamond originated with jeweler Pierre Cartier. So on the occasion of the Smithsonian's anniversary, we take this opportunity to clear up a few of the tall tales, myths and misunderstandings. Yet perhaps because of the breadth and eclecticism of its collections, visitors sometimes arrive at the Institution with a few misconceptions. ![]() The Smithsonian Institution has been a part of the American landscape since 1846.
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