MIT Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

MIT's Building 20: The Magical Incubator Story, Anecdote, or Reminiscence

The Story behind those Famous Doc Edgerton Photos

Don Bruck
DonBruck@aol.com

On my first day as a Research Assistant at D.A.C.L. in Building 20, I heard some loud noises which sounded very much like gunfire emanating from the floor below. I was even more surprised when, in response to the gunfire, some of the other researchers in my lab proceeded to lift up a desk and drop it on the floor a couple of times.....making even louder noises. Building 20 was not known for its soundproofing. It was then explained to me that the "guys" downstairs were shooting bullets through things like apples and the purpose of dropping the desk was to send them a message to cut down on the noise. The "guys," as I later learned, were Prof. Edgerton's group and the photographs that they were taking with strobe lights are now well known. Fortunately, Doc Edgerton and his "guys" had not been intimidated by the sound of the crashing desks.