Modern Freemasonry only emerged in 1717 - long after the death of Leonardo da Vinci in 1519. Although his works contain geometric and symbolic elements that also play a role in Freemasonry, there is no historical evidence of a direct connection. Theories about secret messages in his paintings are speculative and lack a reliable basis.

John Wayne was a member of Marion McDaniel Lodge No 56, in Tucson, Arizona.

As a memento mori, the skull in Freemasonry symbolises the transience of human life and reminds the brothers that their existence is finite. As Freemasonry is not a religion and makes no promises of the afterlife, Freemasons are encouraged to work in the here and now. This symbolism is intended to encourage him to lead a conscious, virtuous life and to place wisdom and humanity above material transience.

Even though many famous composers such as Mozart, Clérambault or Sibelius composed Masonic music or music for their lodges, and these are also regularly played in the lodges, there is no actual Masonic hymn.

Masonic lodges are organised as associations and are subject to the respective national association laws. They are mainly financed by membership fees, which are used to cover running costs such as rent or administration. In addition, they can be supported by donations or legacies, which are often used for charitable purposes or the preservation of lodge buildings. A central component of every meeting is also the collection for charitable purposes, which is used to support charitable projects and aid organisations.

The first paper dollar banknotes were put into circulation in 1861/1862 to finance the Civil War. On the reverse side, the front and back of the Great Seal of the United States are depicted, which was designed in 1782 by the US writer Charles Thomson, who was not a Freemason. Some conspiracy theorists believe they can recognise signs of the Freemasons, the Order of the Illuminati or other supranational powers in the symbols of the seal.

Ballotage (from the French ballotte: small ball, or ballot: ballot ball) is a secret ballot with white and black balls on the admission or non-admission of someone to a society: white means approval, black rejection.

Ballotage, which is still common in Freemasonry today, was introduced in the early Middle Ages by the Benedictines for the election of abbots.

Even though the foundation of the Nobel Prize has certain parallels with Masonic ideals, Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) was not himself a member of a lodge. Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923) was a member of a lodge of the Grand Orient de France, Theodor Tobler (1876-1941) was a member of the Bernese lodge ‘Zur Hoffnung’ and André Citroën (1878-1935) of the lodge ‘La Philosophie positive’ of the Grand Orient de France.

Masonic values are universal and based on the principles of the Enlightenment, which is why they appeal to different political spectrums. Liberty, equality and fraternity appeal to liberal and social movements, while tolerance and humanity also play a role in conservative and Christian ideologies. As Freemasonry is not a political party, but conveys ethical principles, its values can be taken up and interpreted by different political movements.

Freemasonry consists of various obediences (grand lodges) that are organised independently of each other and maintain different rituals and traditions. Some emphasise spiritual and philosophical aspects, while others are more socially committed. There are also all-male, all-female and mixed obediences, which differ in their structure and orientation, but all share the fundamental principle of masonic work on themselves and society.

There is no historical evidence that Napoleon Bonaparte himself was a Freemason. However, he had close ties to Freemasonry, and his father and several of his brothers were members. During his reign, he promoted Freemasonry in Europe by bringing it out of secrecy and uniting the French lodges under the Grand Orient de France.

As early as the 18th century, women were accepted into so-called adoption lodges with a Masonic initiation ritual, especially in aristocratic circles. With the French Revolution and the idea of equality, mixed lodges also emerged in which women were ritually accepted into men's lodges. Since then, there have been both women-only lodges and mixed lodges worldwide alongside the traditional men's lodges.

Since the office was founded in 1789, 45 people have held the office of US President. Of these, 15 are known to have been Freemasons, beginning with George Washington as the first president. The last undisputed Freemason among them was Gerald Ford. Ronald Reagan received an honorary membership in 1988, and Joe Biden was proclaimed a ‘Mason at Sight’ by the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of South Carolina in 2025, although it is disputed whether he actually accepted the membership.

Johannes Brahms was not a freemason. Franz Liszt, on the other hand, belonged to the lodge ‘Zur Einigkeit’ in Frankfurt, Jean Sibelius to the Finnish lodge no. 1 ‘Suomi Lodge No. 1’ and Clérambault to the Parisian lodge ‘Coustos-Villeroy’.

The Grand Master and the Directorate are elected every four years by the Assembly of Delegates of all Swiss lodges.

In Freemasonry, the rough stone (ashlar) symbolises a person's imperfect, natural personality, which is to be refined through work on oneself. Just as a stone is hewn and smoothed to fit into a building, the Freemason should mould and improve his character traits. This symbolic process stands for personal development, ethical education and the constant search for (self-)realisation and perfection.

The square symbolises righteousness and justice, while the compass embodies the unifying force of brotherly love that unites Freemasons with all people.

Modern freemasonry originated from the stonemason brotherhoods of the cathedral building lodges of the late Middle Ages, which cultivated operative rules of the trade and symbolic rituals.

In contrast, ancient Egyptian mystery cults originated from religious initiation traditions with no direct connection to Freemasonry. The Knights Templar, a medieval order of knights with a military-religious character, also has no demonstrable historical continuity with Freemasonry. Similarly, there is no direct link to the Order of the Garter, an elite British chivalric order whose aristocratic structure and objectives differ fundamentally from the Masonic idea of equality.

The Temple of Solomon is the educational image of the Freemasons. The Freemasons are building a temple that is still unfinished. It is the temple of humanity, symbolising a world in which people live together peacefully in a spirit of tolerance, in all the diversity of their cultures and world views.

The Illuminati (lat. illuminati - ‘the enlightened ones’) were a short-lived order founded by Adam Weishaupt in Ingolstadt in 1776. Their aim was to create a society through enlightenment and moral perfection in which the rule of man over man would become superfluous. The order only existed until 1785, when it was banned in the Electorate of Bavaria.

The Capitol in Washington, D.C. was originally designed by William Thornton, built by Benjamin Latrobe and later completed by Thomas Walter, all three Freemasons. The cornerstone of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. was laid by President George Washington in 1793 according to the Masonic rite. The Marquis de La Fayette ceremonially presented him with the Masonic apron made for him by the Grand Lodge of Maryland.

The motto ‘Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité’ (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity) became a central motto during the French Revolution and is still the national motto of France today. It reflects ideals that are also important in Freemasonry, as it advocates personal freedom, social equality and fraternal solidarity. Many revolutionaries, including the Marquis de Lafayette and Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, were Freemasons, but the movement itself was not driven by Freemasonry. Rather, both shared ideas of enlightenment and progress.

In ‘War and Peace’, Leo Tolstoy describes Russian Freemasonry at the time of the Napoleonic Wars and links it to his protagonist Pierre Bezukhov's search for meaning. During a journey, Pierre meets the Freemason Osip Alexeyevich Basdyev, who familiarises him with the ideas of the society.

Tolstoy gives a particularly impressive account of Pierre's ceremonial initiation into the lodge, which is associated with symbolic trials and profound conversations about truth and knowledge. This passage reflects Tolstoy's interest in philosophical and spiritual questions and shows Freemasonry as a path of inner development.

The first Asian Masonic Lodge was founded in Calcutta, India, in 1729. Captain Ralph Farrwinter, an officer of the East India Company, was appointed Provincial Grand Master for the East Indies and granted the patent for the first Indian lodge ‘East India Arms, No. 72’, based in Fort William, Calcutta. This marked the beginning of the long Masonic tradition on the Asian continent.