Thomas jeffersons interesting facts

You probably know Thomas Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence. You might know he was the author of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom that formed the basis of freedom of religion in the First Amendment, that he founded the University of Virginia, or served as the third president. You might be surprised to know these additional facts about Jefferson.

1.

thomas jeffersons interesting facts5

He was a paleontologist before that science had a formal name.

Jefferson collected fossils and was fascinated by the animals that once roamed North America, especially the mammoth. He even had the bones of a mastodon (now displayed in the Monticello Entrance Hall) sent to him during his residence in the President's House in Washington, DC.

2.

He was an architect.

Aside from designing his main home, Monticello, and "vacation" home, Poplar Forest, Jefferson designed the University of Virginia and the Virginia State Capitol in R James Madison RUDYM