10 Historical Figures With Hidden Talents Most historical figures tend to be remembered purely as one-note characters. However, even the most talented writer or the most delusional, power-hungry dictator cannot dedicate themselves fully to a single goal from cradle to grave. Like us, they spend their lives trying out new things and, sometimes, they find out that they’re actually good at them. 10Thomas Jefferson Was A Pioneer Of American Archaeology By now, the many talents and accomplishments of Thomas Jefferson have been well documented, but many people are still only aware of a select few. Truth be told, Jefferson’s interests were very varied and covered not only politics but also science, music, architecture, and linguistics. One other area where Jefferson’s influence was felt was archaeology. He used his knowledge of Native American languages in order to better understand the culture, but when he found a tribal burial mound located near his home in Virginia, he decided to satiate his curiosity further by digging it up. Consequently, this also marked the first archaeological site in the US.