In 'History by a Hair,' DNA offers answers to an old question about Thomas Jefferson

2026-10-06 · 8 min · 6 entities

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For more than 200 years, one question about the nation's third president has lingered: Did Thomas Jefferson father children with Sally Hemings, a woman 30 years his junior whom he held in slavery? Richard Kurin, a scholar and ambassador-at-large for the Smithsonian Institution, spent 15 years searching for Jefferson's DNA in an effort to answer this question. The investigation began with strands of hair found in Jefferson's personal Bible. In today’s episode, Kurin joins Morning Edition ’s Michel Martin for a conversation about his book History by a Hair , which details the investigation. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy