Think tank facts for kids
A think tank is like a special group of smart people. They help other groups and organizations solve problems they don't know how to fix. They do this by finding and sharing information and ideas. They also talk about different choices in great detail.
Think tanks gather their information by doing lots of research. They collect ideas and facts from many different places.
How Think Tanks Started
The very first group like a think tank was the Royal United Services Institute in Britain. It started way back in 1831. But the name "think tank" wasn't used until after World War II.
In the United States, non-government groups started in the early 1900s. For example, Arthur D. Little began in 1909. It was one of the first to offer professional services to others. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace was created in 1910. The Institute for Government Research, which later joined with the Brookings Institution, started in 1916.
Other early groups that are now called think tanks include the Hoover Institution (1919) and Chatham House in London (1920). During the Great Depression in the 1930s, more groups formed. These focused on economic problems. Examples are the National Planning Association (1934) and the Committee for Economic Development (1943).
Think Tanks in the Cold War
Modern think tanks really grew after the Second World War, during the Cold War. The RAND Corporation started in 1946. It was first part of an aircraft company. Then it became its own independent group in 1948. The name "RAND" came from "research and development."
RAND used special methods called "operations research." Scientists had developed these methods during the war to solve tough problems. After the war, RAND used similar techniques. They often used math, physics, and economics. The American government still provides most of RAND's money.
During the Cold War, there were big questions about nuclear weapons. How should the American government talk about them with the Soviet Union? This was a special area for Herman Kahn. He worked at RAND. In 1961, he started his own think tank called the Hudson Institute. His ideas helped shape how countries thought about negotiating during that time.
Think Tanks Today
More recently, think tanks have become very specialized. They often focus on specific topics like foreign policy. Many now work to support certain political ideas. They do research that can be used by public relations and lobbying groups. These groups try to influence government decisions.
See also
In Spanish: Think tank para niños
