Hoot

Edward R. "Hoot" Gibson, Truth Lodge 628 of Los Angeles, had roles in dozens of films and is considered one of the pioneer cowboy movie actors.  Famous for his acting, Brother Gibson was first and foremost a star performer on the rodeo circuit who, among many other honors, won the steer roping World Championship at the Calgary Stampede in 1912.

A Playful Student And A Stream Of Water

Harold E. "Doc" Edgerton of Aurora Lodge 68 in Nebraska, used stroboscopes to study synchronous motors for his doctoral thesis in electrical engineering at MIT in 1931.  One day in his lab, he pointed his "strobe" at a stream coming out of a faucet and was amazed when he could see the individual drops of water.  Brother Edgerton went on to become a professor at MIT and a giant in the electrical engineering field, but continued pointing his strobes at common objects and photographing them, developing the science of stroboscopic photography.  He photographed bouncing balls, golf swings hummingbirds, bullets in flight and in general, anything that moved.  Soon, Edgerton's photographs of everyday events were winning worldwide acclaim and, in 1937, the New York Museum of Modern Art featured his iconic photograph of a milk drop creating a coronet.  Amazingly, today we remember this great scientist more for his artistic work, and it all started with a playful student and a stream of water.

The Gatterburg House

The Gatterburg House, home to the Grand Lodge of Austria, has been in continuous use as a Masonic building since the 18th century. Franz Joseph Haydn, the composer known as the "Father of the Symphony" was a member of Zur Wahren Eintrach ("True Concord") Lodge here, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a frequent visitor. Ignaz von Born, the leading scientist in the Holy Roman Empire, Master of the Lodge, lived and died in the building.

The American Legion

In 1918, a group of twenty officers met in France to suggest ideas on how to improve troop Morale.  Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., son of the former President, proposed forming an organization of veterans to support the troops and provide them with a source of continued fellowship after their military service was over.  That suggestion led to the formation of the American Legion, which congress formally chartered the following year.  Brother Roosevelt, a member of his father's Lodge, Matinecock Lodge 806 of Oyster Bay, NY, went on to become a World War II hero, winning the Congressional Medal of Honor shortly before his death in 1944.

Brougham

The term "Brougham" has been used by every single American car manufacturer as well as a few foreign ones to designate a car model or trim package with richly appointed features.  It refers to the elegant "Brougham" carriage popular in the 19th century.  That carriage was originally built to the specifications of and named for Lord Henry Peter Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux, a British statesman who became Lord Chancellor of Great Britain.  Brother Brougham was a member of Canongate Kilwinning Lodge 2 of Edinburgh Scotland.

Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee, founded in 1819, was named after Egypt's ancient Nile River capital.  The town was originally to have been named Jackson, in honor of Most Worshipful Brother Andrew Jackson.  Brother Jackson, however, declined to have the town so named.  He got his due when Alexandria, a settlement on the Forked Deer River in central western Tennessee was named for him three years later.  The town so honored Jackson primarily because of his successes as a general, seven years before he became President of the US.

The Bloody Massacre

Paul Revere, Grand Master of Massachusetts from 1794-97, is one of the most famous of the American Revolution patriots. Immortalized in the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem, "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere," Brother Revere was also a participant in the Boston Tea Party, a soldier, arms manufacturer and renowned silversmith.  Lesser known is the fact that his artwork extended beyond his silver pieces.  He is also the creator of the famous engraving "The Bloody Massacre" depicting the Boston Massacre of March 5, 1770, where British Troops killed five civilian men, including Crispus Attucks, a former slave, generally regarded as the first person killed in the Revolution.  The engraving also includes a poem written by Brother Revere, "Unhappy Boston."