Happy Birthday Mr Jefferson

Born on April 13 in 1743, Thomas Jefferson helped shape the new American nation and also shaped some of the country's most distinguished buildings. The twentieth century architects who designed the circular, domed Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC drew inspiration from Thomas Jefferson's architectural ideas, including the Rotunda, shown here at the University of Virginia, and Monticello, the Virginia home that Jefferson designed for himself. And where did Jefferson get his ideas?

The Pantheon in Rome!

Visit the UVA website for virtual tours of the Rotunda and Jefferson's "Academical Village."

^{Photo of the Rotunda at the University of Virginia ©2008 Patrick Morrissey/Flickr.}