Today is the birthday of Thomas Jefferson born #otd 1743. Jefferson considered his founding of the University of Virginia, writing the Declaration of Independence and the law providing the separation of church and state in Virginia his main accomplishments. Jefferson is fasinating to me as the greatness is also with his great flaws. JFK had a line during a dinner with Nobel laureates, “This is the greatest collection of minds at the White House since Jefferson dined alone. Maybe not the case, but close…. After the War of 1812, Jefferson sold his library to replace what had been burned by the British to the Library of Congress.