| The Smithsonian Institution | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Gore Vidal |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Little, Brown |
| Publication date | 15 October 1998 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 272 p. (hardback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-316-64504-4 (hardback edition) |
| OCLC Number | 60211198 |
Gore Vidal's novel The Smithsonian Institution is a fictional account of the adventures of "T." as he helps a group of scientists in the basement of the Smithsonian create the neutron bomb, and encounters historical figures such as President Abraham Lincoln, Charles Lindbergh, Eleanor Roosevelt and Mrs. Grover Cleveland.
Vidal has supposedly claimed that this was the inspiration for the 2006 film Night at the Museum. The film was in fact based on the 1993 children's book The Night at the Museum.