The origins of the Smithsonian logo
Two event planners at the Smithsonian Institution were digging through some archives on the hunt for graphics with which to publicize an event. At the very bottom of a storage box they found a folder. Inside was "a translucent annotated paper from 1965 filled with finely executed graphite drawings. These designs were logo ideas for the James Smithson Bicentennial Celebration, and there among the drawings was the now-familiar Smithsonian sunburst. Alongside the symbol was a typewritten note:
'As a good graphic design, the sun seemed not only appropriate for its scientific element, but as a symbol for enlightenment to the whole world—and less hackneyed than the usual torch. It is also an important element in the Smithson arms and crest. — C. Pontes' "
It seems that they found an early draft of what is now a very recognizable mark.
Article: The Surprising Story of the Smithsonian Sunburst