If television exist in the 18th and 19th century , Thomas Jefferson could ’ve earn a living asterisk in Dos Equis commercials . As a writer , wine-colored - maker , uranologist , gourmet chef , and even a fossil - hunter , our third President was clearly one of the most interesting men of his era . Here are nine of his favorite pastimes .
1. Inventing
Like Benjamin Franklin , the “ Sage of Monticello ” had a knack for tinkering . His designs include aninnovative plowbuilt to interpenetrate soil more deep than established mannikin .
2. Mockingbird Keeping
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Jefferson possess several mockingbirds , but it was an up-and-coming male named“Dick”who steal his fondness . According to witnesses , the well-disposed avian was often allowed to pilot about the presidential cabinet , stopping now and again to roost on Jefferson ’s shoulder .
3. Astronomy
In 1811 , Jefferson penned a elaborate invoice of a solar eclipse he ’d observed via specialized telescope . During his establishment , he apprize Meriwether Lewis to meticulously watch the star andrecord their movementwhile search territories recently acquired through the Louisiana Purchase .
4. Violin Playing
“ [ Music ] is the favorite love of my person , ” Jefferson once write . His domination of the violin help win the affections of Martha Wayles Skelton , who loved hear the succeeding president play and eventuallymarried himin 1772 . Their wooing barrack a lovely song , “ He wager the Violin , ” which was featured in the Tony Award - winning musical1776 .
5. Architecture
Buildings based on Jefferson ’s blueprint admit hisMonticello dwelling , theVirginia State Capitol , and the University of Virginia’spicturesque rotunda .
6. Horticulture
The politico ’s extensive garden included330 typesof vegetables and 170 species of fruit , several of which had rarely , if ever , been produce in U.S. filth previously ( such as lima beans and love apple ) .
7. Mathematics
Jefferson gleefully tackled complex equations in his youth , but found themincreasingly difficultas he age . “ When I was young , ” he wrote to future Treasury Secretary William Duane in 1812 , “ mathematics was the passion of my life . The same warmth has returned upon me , but in unequal powers . appendage which I then register off with the facility of uncouth discourse , now be me Department of Labor , time , and slow probe . ”
8. Obsessive Book-Collecting
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The Jefferson subroutine library consisted of 42 Word when his sire , Peter , guide away in 1757 . By 1814 , that number rose to a staggering6487 volumes , enough to restock the Library of Congress after the British USA burned it down during a raid of Washington D.C. This was n’t a contribution , however . The government paid him $ 23,950 to part with his collection .
9. Mastodon Hunting
Jefferson dedicated so much time to studying fossil that there ’s a coinage of giant prehistoric footing sloth named in his honor : Megalonyx jeffersonii . to boot , he coiffe to have choice mastodon specimens shipped to and stored in the White House , some of which were later given to theAcademy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia .
