Kate Waters is an experienced nonfiction editor and the author of the Smithsonian books Curious About Worms , Curious About the White House , and Curious About Fossils . She lives in Yonkers, New York. The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum and research complex. Founded in 1846, it includes 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park, and nine research facilities. Its vast collections house 138 million artifacts, specimens, and works of art, which represent our nation's rich heritage, art from across the globe, and the immense diversity of the natural and cultural world. Learn more at www.si.edu.