Inventions of Thomas Jefferson

By Aaron Levett

Why an Inventor?

Many of you know Thomas Jefferson as just that rich republican guy who was our 3rd president. In fact, inventing things was just one of his hobbies.

He rarely got paid, because he never patented his inventions. He wanted people to use them and improve on them, without expense.

The Wheel Cipher!!• Used to send messages from one person to another.• Only given to Jefferson’s relatives and best friends.• How it worked, was that you would rotate the wheel

until it spelled out the message you wanted to. Then you would have to look a line or 2 above to form a secret code. Then you would send someone a message saying AGHHV, which they would then look at the cipher to se it read: WHAAT.

Wheel Cipher Cont.

• All wheel ciphers contained the letters in the same order. This was so messages would not get confused. Jefferson only gave these to people he could trust not to be spies.

• As you see, in the picture the cipher reads COOLJEFFERSONWHEELCIPHER, but the sent message would read: NWPNHKKRWYKWKYGSJILGZDEN

Quick Fact!

• It is believed that Thomas Jefferson served the first macaroni and cheese, with the newly invented macaroni machine!!!

The Moldboard of Least Resistance• A farming tool. • It was used so you could do more work with

soil, without using as much of your energy. • Basically, it was a more efficient plow. • He never got a patent for this, and he just gave

copies away to his family and friends.

Jefferson’s rotating bookshelf

• Bookshelf that rotates (obviously). • Holds 5 books.• The rectangles could be folded in to form a

storage box. They then attached to the base.• Now, we just use our boring old plain

bookshelf.

His Tombstone

• Jefferson designed his own tombstone, with the shape and specific words he wanted written on it.

• It reads: Here was buried, Thomas Jefferson, author of the declaration of American independence of the state of Virginia for religious freedom and father of the university of Virginia.

• He left out his presidency on his tomb.

Quick Fact• Thomas Jefferson used his newly invented

“automatic double doors” to use at the front of Monticello.

• When one door was opened, a complex series of chains opened the otherdoor.

Polygraph

• Jefferson’s polygraph was a letter copier. As you see, “Mr. Jefferson’s polygraph was written and copied.

• Jefferson copied over 18,000 letters that he sent and received.

• Now a days, a polygraph is called a lie detector (don’tget confused:)

My Favorite Invention!

• Jefferson’s wheel cipher is my favorite invention.

• It is so complex, but in a so simple fashion. It took so little to make, but so much mind work to come up with the idea.

My Favorite Invention Cont.

• I think that it is smart to use this, so enemy’s do not steal your message, though I don’t feel it would be a good idea today.

• Too many others would have the invention, and letters would be stolen, and used for evil.