History & Celebrations Today – August 4

Celebrations Today – August 4

Holidays and observances

Celebrations Today – USA: August 4

National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day
National Coast Guard Day
National Hooray for Kids Day
National White Wine Day
National Single Working Women’s Day
National U.S. Coast Guard Day

Today in US History: August 4

George Washington, Master Mason

Masonic Lodge, Fredericksburg, Va.
Masonic Lodge,
Fredericksburg, Virginia,
between 1910 and 1930.
Touring Turn-of-the-Century America: Photographs from the Detroit Publishing Company, 1880-1920

On August 4, 1753, George Washington became a Master Mason, the highest rank in the Fraternity of Freemasonry, in his hometown of Fredericksburg, Virginia. The twenty-one-year-old young man would soon hold his first military commission.

image of George Washington in Masonic dress
Washington as a freemason,
c1866.
Prints & Photographs Online Catalog

Derived from the practices and rituals of the medieval guild system, freemasonry gained popularity in the eighteenth century, particularly in Great Britain. British Masons organized the first North American Chapter in 1731. Masons aroused considerable suspicion in the early American republic with their mysterious rites and closely held secrets. These fears mushroomed in response to the suspicious death in 1826 of William Morgan, who was said to have been murdered on account of his threat to reveal the secrets of freemasonry.

For George Washington, joining the Masons was a rite of passage and an expression of civic responsibility. Members were required to express their belief in a Supreme Being and in the immortality of the soul. Masons were also were expected to obey civil laws, hold a high moral standard, and practice acts of charity.

George Washington
George Washington,
the Glasgow portrait.
Touring Turn-of-the-Century America: Photographs from the Detroit Publishing Company, 1880-1920

Today in History – August 4-External Links

Today’s Weather in History
Today in Earthquake History
This Day in Naval History
Today’s Document from the National Archives
Today’s Events, Births & Deaths –Wikipedia
Today in History by AP
On this Day -1950 to 2005 – Today’s Story–BBC
On This Day: The New York Times
This Day in History –History.com
Today in Canadian History – Canada Channel
History of Britain that took place On This Day
Russia in History –Russiapedia