On this day (April 13) in 1743, Thomas Jefferson was born on Shadwell Plantation in the British Colony of Virginia. He enjoyed a long and fascinating life and died at 83 on July 4, 1825—the same day on which his longtime political rival and friend, John Adams, died. Jefferson wrote his epitaph, which reads:
HERE WAS BURIED THOMAS JEFFERSON, AUTHOR OF THE DECLARATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE, OF THE STATUTE OF VIRGINIA FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, AND FATHER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA