Whose head is on the nickel?

The person on the modern U.S. nickel is Thomas Jefferson. He was the third president of the United States and the author of the Declaration of Independence. He also founded the University of Virginia.

The first Jefferson nickel was minted in 1938 after the previous design of the Buffalo nickel. There have been many designs for the nickel over the years, starting with the Shield nickel in 1866. Before then, nickels were known as half dimes, but this was changed with the Shield nickel. Other images seen on nickels over the years include Liberty's head, a buffalo and a Native American's head. The model used for the Indian Head nickel is not known for certain.