Recently in U.S. History Category

That's about how long it has taken to make it through all six volumes of Jefferson and His Time in audiobook format. I have not found a biography of one of the Founders that is nearly as extensive as this, and actually hope I don't because I would probably have to do that one as well. Let's face it though, Jefferson probably had as much or more to do with the liberties we enjoy today as any of them. The volumes in the series were written over a 34 year period between 1948 and 1982. I will admit that at times I hoped for more excitement but, given the amount of detail about the man's life included in the work, that is probably to be expected.

Truly an amazing individual who, in addition to being a statesman, was an inventor, architect, archaeologist, and family man.

He must have liked the birds, too, since he includes a pretty big list of the birds of his beloved Virginia (beginning on page 192) in Notes on the State of Virginia. An interesting challenge is to go through the list and try to figure out some the birds since many of his common names - and most of the scientific names - are nothing like those we use today. Some are easy, even the same, I can figure out a few others, but many remain a mystery. I have Googled a few and have had pretty good luck as there are lists/databases that reference the archaic names. For example, his Lanius tyrannus is the same as Tyrannus tyrannus, which simply names as "Tyrant" or "Field Martin", which we know as an Eastern Kiingbird. I'm guessing a "Painted Finch" could be a Painted Bunting. Something to have a little fun with on a rainy day if you're so inclined . . .

Way back when I was still in high school, the U.S. Uniform Monday Holiday Act was passed, and I've always thought that the holiday we celebrate on the third Monday in February was to honor the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln and called Presidents Day. Not so. Officially, the federal holiday is Washington's Birthday. About a dozen states have officially renamed the holiday Presidents Day or Washington and Lincoln Day, a few others have a separate state holiday for Lincoln (California will frequently move it to the Friday before the federal holiday so they get a 4-day weekend), and the oddballs in Alabama take the holiday for George Washington and Thomas Jefferson Birthday - even though TJ was actually born on April 13. In New Mexico President's Day (with an apostrophe) is celebrated the Friday after Thanksgiving. It's all too confusing.

Mr. Washington also had a healthy respect for science and knowledge that somebody of late with the same first name who held that office seemed to be lacking:

Nor am I less persuaded that you will agree with me in opinion that there is nothing which can better deserve your patronage than the promotion of science and literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness. -- 1st Inaugural Address

There's a similar quote in his 2nd Inaugural address, also. On the positive side, we now have someone in the Oval Office who thinks more like Washington (and Jefferson, among a few others) in that regard. Given that U.S. students rank pretty poorly compared to the other "industrialized" countries, maybe we'll start to move up.