Late in life, on either side of his 80th birthday, Thomas Jefferson had two bad falls. Both were serious, and one was life-threatening. And both provide glimpses into Jefferson’s character and into the many roles his family, his friends, and his enslaved domestic servants played in his life.

In this episode of our In the Course of Human Events podcast, Jeff Looney, the Daniel P. Jordan Editor of the Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series at Monticello, tells the story of when Jefferson broke his arm and later nearly drowned while riding with a still-healing fracture. Papers editor Lisa Francavilla and Monticello archaeologist Derek Wheeler listen in and add details and background.