The largest collection of artifacts of Russian culture outside of Russia is located at Columbia University in New York, USA. This archive was initiated by Boris Alexandrovich Bakhmetev, a renowned Russian scientist in the field of hydrodynamics, as well as a Russian and American political and public figure. In 1917, he arrived in the USA as Russia's ambassador and remained there after the Bolshevik revolution.

In 1923, Bakhmetev opened a consulting firm in New York specializing in hydraulic system design and became one of the founders of several other scientific and technical companies. He closely collaborated with the match factory 'Lion Match Co', where he was one of the founders and chairman of the board. Thanks to this small firm, it soon became one of the largest match companies in the USA, allowing Bakhmetev to return to scientific activities. He directed part of his income to charity, funding 'The New Journal' and a Russian orphanage.