Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States. Aside from this official title, history also remembers him as people’s person, a vegetarian, an avid reader, a fan of letter writing and a fighter against slavery.
Here’s a compilation of those fun, interesting, weird and also really cool Thomas Jefferson facts:
#1 He was an archaeology geek
Jefferson was attracted to the secret science of digging for gold and bones, and became utterly fascinated with the remainings of a mastodon, the prehistoric ancestor of elephants. Jefferson had the amazing discovery shipped to him at the White House and dedicated vast time to study it and even tried to build up the skeleton. The bones were seated in what is now known as the East Room.
#2 He was a correspondence fan
President Jefferson’s mailbox today would have reached its limit in no time had he used email or social media. The number of letters he wrote throughout his life sums up to 19.000. In order to save everything and archive it, Jefferson used the polygraph, a machine that made copies of everything he wrote. Top that, modern technology!
#3 He had a very contemporary diet
Not only he introduced French Fries to the Americans, and loved vanilla ice cream, which he first discovered in France, but he was also a vegetarian. He loved junk food but also kept to a healthy habit of regularly eating peas and lettuce picked up from his worldly travels and planted in the garden at the Monticello complex.
#4 He had an ornithology soft spot
Jefferson was delighted to hear birds singing and kept them as pets. Most of the time, he had at least four of them. He named his favorite bird Dick and manifested a lot of affection towards the little creature.
#5 He was a man of the people
He would greet people at the White House in his bathrobe and slippers, causing many rumors, judging remarks and a stir, but this random way of receiving guests made him even more loved by the people. Jefferson was considered easy to approach and build himself a reputation of a kindred spirit to the people he spoke and ruled for.
#6 He was highly into wining and dining
Thomas Jefferson loved himself a good wine, but moreover than that, he had a quick impulse to always make anything he liked easy in hand. As he loved wine more than cider and often stated that, he imported French breeds of grapes into America and built two vineyards at Monticello, the land of his many agricultural experiments.
#7 He was an awful accountant
President Jefferson was bright and intuitive, empathetic and kind, a man of many talents and a great public advisor. He loved kids, was keen on gathering information on all topics he fancied, a quick mind and an important counselor. However, for a president, he had a terrible way with money. Thomas Jefferson was rumored to live beyond his means, indulge in spending copious amounts of cash on interior décor, beverages and whatever projects he thought of as brilliant.
#8 He was a walking example of multitasking
Thomas Jefferson did many things at one time and for the most, did them well. His artistic hobbies and achievements roll way back in his childhood, while his inclination for being a problem solver and a pacifist in the same time brought his combat position in the 5 year Revolutionary war between 1776-1781. His biography includes writing the Declaration of Independence, but also being a politician, a farmer and a lawyer before becoming one of the most remembered presidents of the US.
This concludes our list of Thomas Jefferson facts. Do you know any other interesting facts? Would love to hear from you!