Thomas Jefferson

About Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, is ranked #40 in historical importance by MIT's Pantheon project, largely due to his role as the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. This seminal document established foundational principles of American governance and human rights, securing his lasting influence across politics and philosophy. Beyond the presidency, he was also a noted architect, scientist, and founder of the University of Virginia.

Despite this profound historical significance, Jefferson's modern digital footprint suggests a relative decline in public engagement. He garnered 3.1 million annualized Wikipedia views in 2025. This figure is considerably lower than that of several contemporary politicians with lesser historical rank, for example, Joe Biden, ranked #329, achieved 11.0M views. Jefferson's Attention Gap is calculated at +4x, indicating he receives four times the online attention one might predict based purely on his HPI rank, though the raw view count is still dwarfed by modern figures.

Furthermore, the data suggests a cooling interest in the Founding Father, as his 2025 year-over-year change shows a -2.5% decline in views, coupled with a sharp -18% drop in momentum comparing Q1 to Q3 of the year.