The station opened on July 1 , 1977 . Its opening coincided with the completion of of rail between National Airport and RFK Stadium and the opening of the Arlington Cemetery , Capitol South , Crystal City , Eastern Market , Farragut West , Federal Center SW , Federal Triangle , Foggy Bottom – GWU , L'Enfant Plaza , McPherson Square , National Airport , Pentagon , Pentagon City , Potomac Avenue , Rosslyn , and Stadium – Armory stations . Orange Line service to the station began upon the line 's opening on November 20 , 1978 . Silver Line service at Smithsonian station began on July 26 , 2014 . Near this station , Metro had its first fatalities , which occurred on January 13 , 1982 when a train derailed . On the same day , Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the 14th Street Bridge . The two events closed the federal government in the Washington Metropolitan Area . The Smithsonian station was closed all day on the Fourth of July from 2002 to 2008 , as its north entrance is within the secure perimeter established around the National Mall during Independence Day events . Metro stopped closing Smithsonian station on July 4 beginning in 2009
Air Florida Flight 90
Air Florida Flight 90
Smithsonian station