1

The sweet tooth

Image: Michelle Tsang

What's your favorite ice cream flavor? With so many options available today, it's hard to choose just one, right? Like us, Thomas Jefferson also loved ice cream. Not only that, he's often credited with making this treat famous in America.

The third US president discovered his sweet tooth during his time in France. It's impossible not to imagine Jefferson doing important paperwork with a bowl of ice cream on his desk. In addition, it's said that he often served the sweet dessert to his guests at the White House.

And that’s not all! A recipe for vanilla ice cream, handwritten by Jefferson himself, is still kept to this day in the Library of Congress.

2

The handshaker

Image: Erika Fletcher

It seems that Jefferson was a man who set trends and influenced fashions. Ice cream wasn’t the only custom that spread across the country thanks to him.

Today, the handshake is a very common and popular form of greeting. But this was not always the case. Before Jefferson's presidency, handshakes were less frequent, and people often used other formal greetings, such as bowing.

Jefferson argued that handshakes were horizontal and, therefore, more democratic. This belief illustrates how he integrated his principles into every aspect of his life, even small habits and customs.

3

The friend

Image: Joanna Kosinska

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams first met in 1775 at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Despite their differences, they liked and respected each other. Together, they were part of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and became even closer when they both served as diplomats in Europe during the 1780s. Jefferson later served as vice president to his friend Adams when the latter took office in 1797. Although they drifted apart after Adams' presidency, they reconciled in 1812, and their regular letters returned.

As if all this weren’t enough, they both died on the same day. And not just any day—both passed away on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

4

The polyglot

Image: Thomas Kelley

Can you speak more than one language? It's hard not to be impressed when you see a bilingual person developing their skills, right? And then there are those who speak three or four languages!

In this regard, Jefferson’s case is remarkable. The third president of our country was fluent in no less than six languages! In addition to his mother tongue, English, and the widely spoken French (which he used during his time as American minister to France in the 1780s), Jefferson also had strong skills in Latin, Ancient Greek, Italian, and Spanish. Furthermore, some sources suggest he also knew some German. A true polyglot!

5

The musician

Image: Baher Khairy

During his childhood in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson developed a strong interest in and passion for music. Music was a fundamental element in his home, and this art form was also a main part of his education.

The Father of the Declaration of Independence played the violin perfectly. His father, Peter Jefferson, taught him to play this instrument when Thomas was very young, and his talent only grew over the years.

Less frequently than the violin, Jefferson also played the cello—another stringed instrument known for its sophistication.

6

The architect

Image: Richard Hedrick

Jefferson's talents were even more varied! He was not only a polyglot and a musician but also an accomplished architect.

Thomas Jefferson played a major role in the design and construction of his plantation home in Virginia, the magnificent Monticello, which would later earn him one of his famous nicknames. Inspired by classical and Renaissance architecture, Monticello is considered one of the greatest works of American architecture. To add further merit to his work, Jefferson began the design of the plantation and its house in 1768, when he was only 25 years old!

Fun fact: Today, Monticello is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

7

The family man

Image: Heike Mintel

If you're a family person, you'll love this aspect of Thomas Jefferson.

In addition to politics, business, and his many talents, Thomas Jefferson was also a devoted family man—and, we must say, he had quite a large family. But how big was his family? Jefferson was born to Peter Jefferson and Jane Randolph Jefferson and was the third of ten siblings.

In 1772, he married Martha Wayles Skelton, with whom he had six children. However, only two daughters survived to adulthood: Martha and Mary, who also gave him many grandchildren.

8

The farmer

Image: Stephen Radford

Agriculture was central to Jefferson's vision at the national policy level and also in his personal life.

Monticello was not only his home but also a 5,000-acre plantation where he experimented with different crops, including wheat, corn, tobacco, and various vegetables and fruits.

In addition, he was also an enthusiast of flower gardens. His interest in horticulture led him to import seeds and plants from around the world to experiment with in America!

9

The pet lover

Image: Dawn McDonald

Among his many qualities, his appreciation for animals truly stood out.

At Monticello, he had a variety of farm animals, including geese, turkeys, chickens, horses, cows, and pigs, all of which played an important role in maintaining the plantation. But his true love was for horses. He loved riding and spending time with them, both at his home in Virginia and even during his presidency.

It’s also said that he had a soft spot for birds. One of his most beloved pets was a mockingbird named Dick, who, according to historians, was allowed to fly around the house. Cute, isn't it?

10

The astronomer

Image: Matthew Ansley

Jefferson's interests and passions were not limited to earthly matters. In fact, he was an amateur astronomer. The stars and the cosmos sparked a deep curiosity in him.

In line with this interest, he developed a taste for telescopes, through which he could approach that mysterious object of study. He had several telescopes in his house and would spend hours and hours observing the night sky.

This inclination played a key role in the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806), as it’s believed that Jefferson provided precise astronomical guidance and instructions to the two explorers.

1

Coyotes

Image: Ray Hennessy

Coyotes have a natural talent for survival, and they are built to thrive in any environment, including cities where food is readily available everywhere.

As it has been noticed multiple times, coyotes have deciphered how semaphors work and wait for the red light to cross the street.

2

Black bears

Image: Bruce Warrington

Studies have shown that female black bears living in urban areas aged one to one and a half years weighed nearly twice as much as their country counterparts. Some of those urban female bears produced cubs, while none of the rural bears of the same age reproduced.

Curiously, bears seem to know when it is trash day and will scavenge for food in trash cans on those dates specifically.

3

Raccoons

Image: Ralf Volkmer

Raccoons that live in urban environments are more exploratory than their country cousins, taking more time to investigate the squares. Some raccoons even figure out how to yank bungee cords off of trash cans .

These city animals are also more social, traveling in pairs more often than their rural relatives.

4

Bald eagles

Image: Alexas_Fotos

Believe it or not, in the 1960s, the bald eagle was on the verge of extinction due to the use of pesticides. But since those pesticides have been banned, their population has rebounded, and they're no longer on the list of endangered species.

City eagles need only a place to nest and a clean source of food, which can even be a trashcan, and they’ve figured out how to use city infrastructure like cellphone towers, bridges, and cranes along waterways .

5

Pigeons

Image: Dawood Javed

Possibly the most urban animal on the list, aside from rats, pigeons are uniquely suited to urban life. They can recognize human faces , so they know which people have fed them before.

These creatures have an incredible ability to distribute themselves, so there are never more pigeons than available food. A park with twice as much food as another park will also have twice as many pigeons.

6

Booklice

Image: Brett Jordan

Whether we see it or not, our homes are filled with insect life. One of them, booklice, has found that the starch in book bindings makes an ideal food source.

Booklice have adapted to suck the moisture directly out of the air and can live off that vapour for three weeks, avoiding dehydration.

7

Squirrels

Image: Mark Brennan

Squirrels and urban environments have gotten along for a long time now. There’s ample food and shelter, and few natural predators. They’ve learned to live in much greater densities in cities than they do in other environments, and they can tell which humans will feed them .

8

Sparrows

Image: Carlos Quintero

The sparrows that live in New York City have become night owls, staying out later to feed because the bright lights around buildings draw plenty of insects .

9

Rats

Image: Joshua J. Cotten

Almost no one would call a rat clean, but contrary to popular belief, city rats tend to carry fewer diseases and parasites than rural ones because they have less contact with livestock excrement from farms, and their human neighbors don’t harbor many parasites.

10

Ospreys

Image: KaroGraphix Photography

Ospreys have seen their numbers grow in North America partially because they have forsaken trees in favor of building their 250-pound nests on power poles, cell phone towers, channel markers , and other human-made structures.

11

Crows

Image: Veronica Dudarev

Crows are very smart creatures, and they have learned to use the city infrastructure to their advantage. These birds drop nuts and bones from great heights to crack the hard outer shells so that they can reach the food inside. City crows simply drop the previously impenetrable food into the street and let the cars crack it open .

12

Tomcods

Image: John Werner

Nature can adapt to almost anything, and tomcods are living proof of this. A very polluted segment of the Hudson River is home to these humble fish, who have adapted to its contaminated waters through genetic variations that allow them to thrive in such conditions.

1

American Alligator

Image: Joshua J. Cotten

Did you know that American alligators are one of only two alligator species in the whole world ? China is the only other place with an alligator species, the Chinese alligator. Often confused with their relatives, the crocodiles and the caimans, alligators can be differentiated by the shape of their teeth, their round snouts, their darker color, and their preference for freshwater habitats. An inhabitant of tropical and subtropical wetlands, the American alligator can be found throughout the Southeastern U.S.

2

Nene

Image: Lyle Wilkinson

Also known as the Hawaiian goose, this bird can only be found in its wild state across the islands of Maui, Kauaʻi, Molokai, and Hawaiʻi . Believed to be distantly related to the Canada goose, the nēnē is considered the rarest goose species in the world and is a protected species. Thanks to successful conservation efforts, it has been reclassified from endangered to near threatened. It has also been designated as the official state bird of Hawaiʻi.

3

Common Raccoon

Image: Chris Ensminger

If you are asked to describe a raccoon, the common raccoon, native to North America, will most likely come to mind. The other two species of raccoon—also native to the Americas—present marked differences in color and size. Their name is derived from the Algonquian aroughcoune , meaning ‘he who scratches with his hands.’ The unusual shape of their thumbs, combined with their cleverness, allows them to open closed containers to access food and trash, which has earned them the nickname of "trash pandas." Due to human intervention, they have become a highly invasive species in European and Asian ecosystems.

4

Monarch Butterfly

Image: Alex Guillaume

One of the most recognizable butterfly species, the Monarch can be identified by its orange and black wings with white spots . Monarch subspecies can be found across the Americas, but the North American monarch is especially known for its remarkable migratory behavior. As winter approaches, monarch butterflies in the northern United States travel thousands of miles to overwintering sites in California and central Mexico. In spring, they will return home in time for summer.

5

North American Beaver

Image: Tim Umphreys

Though North American beavers are related to those found in Asia and Europe, their genetics are so different that they are unable to mix. North American beavers are generally larger and darker than their Eurasian counterparts , and they have a broader and longer tail. They are a widespread species across the Continental U.S., Canada, and northern Mexico and have been chosen as the official state mammal of Oregon and New York.

6

Bald Eagle

Image: Mathew Schwartz

Widely recognized as a national U.S. symbol and featured in multiple official imagery , the bald eagle came close to extinction in the late 20th century. Found across most of North America, it favors habitats near large bodies of water. Fun fact: bald eagles were named after the color of their head feathers, as the word ‘bald’ was anciently used for ‘having a white head.’

7

Alligator Snapping Turtle

Image: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Like the reptile it takes its name from, this pointy reptile is only found in freshwater habitats across the U.S. The spiky ridges on its shell give it an armored tank appearance, but these will flatten as the turtle ages. They have an extremely powerful bite , and they have been known for biting human fingers off, which makes them a dangerous animal that should be approached with caution.

8

Texas Blind Salamander

Image: Ryan Hagerty/USFWS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Unlike other entries on this list, this amphibian can only be found in a very specific place: San Marcos, Texas . Considered to be a critically endangered species, the Texas blind salamander lives in underground caves and streams and is highly sensitive to water pollution and droughts.

9

Coyote

Image: Dylan Ferreira

Also known as the American jackal or prairie wolf, the coyote fulfills a key role in North American ecosystems by helping regulate the population of smaller animals and consuming carrion that could otherwise spread disease. Somewhat friendly toward humans, coyotes play an important role in Native American folklore, and there are recorded cases of domesticated coyotes.

10

Giant Kangaroo Rat

Image: Harrison, George, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Although kangaroos are native to Australia, giant kangaroo rats are found only in California . Preferring dry, sandy habitats that allow them to dig burrows, these rodents are known for using foot stomps as a way of communicating. Due to habitat loss caused by agriculture, the giant kangaroo rat has been classified as an endangered species.

11

American Mink

Image: Alexandre Daoust

American minks can be found across Alaska, Canada, and the northern and central United States, both in the wild and on farms. Although they are not specifically bred to be tame, they are officially considered suitable to be pets if trained from a young age. Their introduction to many parts of Europe, Asia, and South America has harmed native species, and they have been classified as invasive in many of these regions.