Description Thomas Jefferson #otd born in 1743. I find him endlessly fascinating due to the contradictions within him. If the only thing he had written was the Declaration of Independence (with advice from Franklin and Adam’s),he would be remembered. A true polymath, he wrote music, was a fair astronomer, spoke languages, Ancient Greek and Latin for starters, and so on. JFK had the best line about Jefferson. Speaking at a gathering of Nobel laureates Kennedy said, “This is the greatest collection of minds since Thomas Jefferson dined alone “.