History of Boy Scouts of America .....

1910 First BSA camp held at Silver Bay, Lake George, N.Y.

1910 BSA Incorporated on February 8

1910 Campfire Girls founded

1911 BSA National Scout Office opens in New York with 7 employees

1911 Handbook For Boys published

1911 First Heroism awards presented

1912 Scouts enrolled from every State

1912 First National Good Turn: A Sane and Safe Fourth of July

1912 Baden-Powell marries Olave Soames

1912 Boy's Life purchased

1912 Sea Scouting becomes part of BSA

1912 First Eagle Scout

1912 Girl Scouts of America founded

1913 First local councils chartered

1913 Scouting Magazine created

1913 Handbook For Scoutmasters published

1914 The troop committee plan developed

1914 The first William T. Hornaday medal awarded

1915 The Lone Scouts of America organized by William Boyce

1915 Order of the Arrow founded in Philidelphia

1915 57 merit badge books issued

1916 Federal Charter granted by Congress on June 15

1916 BSA constitution and by-laws adopted

1917 Veteran Scout established

1917 BSA begins home-front service, "Help win the war"

1918 BSA rendered Nation-wide first-aid service in influenza epidemic

1918 Standards established for Boy Scout camps

1919 First Wood Badge course held at Gilwell Park near London, England

1919 First annual National Boy Scout Week conducted

1920 First World Jamboree in Olympia, London, England attended by 301 American Scouts for a total of 8,000 Scouts from 34 countries.

1920 Baden-Powell made Chief Scout of the World

1920 Scout International Bureau established in London

1921 "New York Times" inaugurated Sunday Boy Scouts section

1923 International left handclasp adopted

1924 Lone Scouts of America merged with BSA

1924 International Scout constitution and by-laws adopted

1924 2nd World Jamboree in Copenhagen, Denmark attended by 56 American Scouts for a total of 4,500 Scouts from 22 countries

1924 "Every Scout a Swimmer" campaign started

1925 Boy Scouts of America membership exceeds 1 million

1925 Junior Assistant Scoutmaster position created

1926 Silver Buffalo first presented, the first to Baden-Powell and the second to the unknown Scout

1926 YMCA Indian Guides program started.

1927 First major revision of Handbook for Boys

1927 Eagle Palms introduced

1927 National office moved to 2 Park Avenue in New York

1928 Sea Scout, Paul Siple, accompanies Admiral Byrd to the Antarctic

1929 Registration of all Scouters authorized

1929 3rd World Jamboree in Arrowe Park, Birkenhead, England attended by 1,300 American Scouts for a total of 50,000 Scouts from 73 countries

1930 Cubbing started

1931 First Silver Beaver awards presented by local councils

1931 First religious award established by the Roman Catholic Church

1932 Mortimer L. Schiff Memorial Scout Reservation presented to BSA

1933 4th World Jamboree in Godollo, Hungary attended by 406 American Scouts for a total of 26,000 Scouts from 46 countries

1933 Schiff Scout Reservation established

1933 Exploring and Rovering programs authorized

1934 Order of the Arrow program approved

1934 Scouts answer FDR's request to collect food & clothing for needy

1935 Silver Jubilee of Scouting

1935 National Jamboree cancelled due to epidemic of infantile paralysis

1935 Membership passes 1,000,000

1935 Senior Scouting introduced for older boys

1936 First Wood Badge courses held in USA following English syllabus

1936 New Handbook For Scoutmasters published

1937 1st National Jamboree, Washington, DC attendance 27,232

1937 5th World Jamboree in Vogelenzang, Holland attended by 814 American Scouts for a total of 29,000 Scouts from 54 countries

1938 Waite Phillips gives BSA 36,000 acres in NM for Philturn Rockymountain Scoutcamp

1939 Philturn Rockeymountain Scoutcamp opens

1939 Air Scouting added

1940 Royalties from Berlin's "God Bless America" finance urban Scouting

1941 Scouts begin campaign selling Defense Bonds and Stamps

1941 Webelos rank created in Cubbing

1941 Philturn renamed Philmont Scout Ranch

1941 Baden-Powell passes away

1941 "Uncle Dan" Beard passes away

1942 Scouts start recycling campaign for war effort

1943 James West retires

1943 First Silver Antelope awards presented by a region

1943 First Blue and Gold banquet

1943 Long trousers and Scout cap introduced for Boy Scouts

1944 Word Fellowship Fund started to help Scouting in wartorn nations

1945 Cubbing changed to Cub Scouting

1947 Long trousers introduced for Cubs

1947 6th World Jamboree in Molsson, France attended by 1,151 American Scouts for a total of 24,000 Scouts from 38 countries

1948 1st BSA Wood Badge course held at Schiff, 2nd course held at Philmont

1948 James West passes away

1949 Explorer Scouting established from Senior Scouting program

1949 Scouts age limits lowered to 8 for Cub Scouts, 11 for Boy Scouts, and 14 for Explorers

1950 2nd National Jamboree, Valley Forge, PA attendance 47,163

1950 First Boy Scout stamp issued by the Post Office

1951 7th World Jamboree in Bad Ischel, Austria attended by 700 American Scouts for a total of 13,000 Scouts from 41 countries

1952 BSA conducts national get-out-the-vote campaign

1953 3rd National Jamboree, Irving Ranch, CA attendance 45,401

1954 National office moves to New Jersey

1954 National Conservation Good Turn

1954 Webelos Dens introduced to provide a bridge to Boy Scouts

1955 100,000 chartered units reached

1955 First Pinewood Derby

1955 8th World Jamboree in Niagra-on-the-Lake, Canada attended by 1,500 Americam Scouts for a total of 11,000 Scouts from 71 countries

1956 BSA conducts national get-out-the-vote campaign

1957 4th National Jamboree, Valley Forge, PA attendance 50,100

1957 9th World Jamboree in Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, England attended by 1,700 American Scouts for a total of 32,000 Scouts from 82 countries

1957 50th anniversary of the world Boy Scout movement celebrated

1958 BSA distributes Civil Defense emergency handbooks

1959 Bobcat pin introduced

1959 Scouting magazine begins using full color

1959 Modern Exploring program introduced

1959 10th World Jamboree in Laguna, Phillipine Islands attended by 309 American Scouts for a total of 12,000 Scouts from 44 countries

1960 BSA's Golden Jubilee, commemorative stamp issued by Post Office

1960 The Johnston Historial Museum in New Brunswick, N.J. dedicated

1960 5th National Jamboree, Colorado Springs, CO attendance 53,378

1960 BSA conducts national get-out-the-vote campaign

1961 BSA Inter-Racial Service begins projects in public housing

1962 First National Explorer Delegate Conference held in Ann Arbor, MI

1963 11th World Jamboree in Marathon, Greece attended by 621 American Scouts for a total of 14,000 Scouts from 88 countries

1964 6th National Jamboree, Valley Forge, PA attendance 52,000

1965 Inner-City Rural Program launched

1967 BSA Wood Badge change emphasis from Scout skills to leadership

1967 Commemorative tribute statue in front of White House dedicated November 7th

1965 500,000th Eagle badge presented

1966 Revised charter and by-laws adopted

1967 Ernest Thompson Seton Library and museum at Philmont dedicated

1967 Updated Cub Scout program introduced. Lion rank discontinued, Webelos Scout program begun

1967 12th World Jamboree, Farragut State Park, Idaho attended by 4,435 American Scouts for a total of 12,000 Scouts from 105 countries

1969 Girls eligible to participate as non-registered Explorer Scouts

1969 7th National Jamboree, Farragut State Park, ID attendance 35,000

1970 First National Explorer Olympics held at Colorado State Univ.

1971 Cub Scout promise drops to be square and adds to help other people

1971 SOAR (Save Our American Resources) program began

1971 Maine National High Adventure Area opened

1971 Exploring magazine published

1971 Silver Buffalo awarded to President Richard Nixon

1971 Girls eligible to register as full fledged Explorer Scouts

1971 First Cub Scout Woodbadge course

1971 13th World Jamboree, Asagiri Heights near Fujinomiya City, Japan attended by 7,947 American Scouts for a total of 24,000 Scouts from 87 countries

1971 First Silver World awards presented by BSA for international service

1972 New Scout Handbook removes outdoor skill requirements for 1st Class

1972 Improved Scouting program introduced

1972 Operation Reach against drug abuse introduced

1973 8th National Jamboree, Farragut State Park, ID and Moraine State Park, PA attendance 64,000

1973 Updated Cub Socut program introduced

1973 Washington, D.C. bureau established to represent National office

1973 National Eagle Scout Association formed

1974 BSA starts weekend Wood Badge courses

1974 First woman elected national Explorer president

1975 14th World Jamboree, Lillehammer, Norway attended by 2,500 American Scouts for a total of 17,000 Scouts from 91 countries

1976 First Cub Scout Trainer Wood Badge course held in Alabama

1976 BSA allows women to attend Wood Badge

1976 Women allowed to become Cubmasters

1977 9th National Jamboree, Moraine State Park, PA attendance 28,600

1978 Local Council camps made available for family camping

1978 Revised God and Country program announced

1978 Age restrictions removed for severely handicapped Scouts

1978 Outdoor skill reinstated for 1st Class rank

1979 The Official Boy Scout Handbook reflects return of outdoor emphasis

1979 National Headquarters moved to Irving, Texas

1979 15th World Jamboree in Iran canceled

1979 Cub Scout Trainers Wood Badge approved

1980 New uniforms designed by Oscar de la Renta

1980 50th anniversary of Cub Scouting

1980 Fire destroys second floor of the National offices

1980 Eastern distribution center moves to North Carolina

1980 BSA distributes national census fliers

1981 10th National Jamboree, Fort A.P.Hill, VA attendance 29,765

1981 New Scoutmaster Handbook issued

1981 Murray, Kentucky picked as the site for Boy Scout Museum

1982 Career Awareness Exploring becomes official

1982 Prepare for Today program started for latchkey children

1982 Tiger Cubs introduced

1982 The Cub Scout Leader Book published to replace five different leader books

1982 The 1,000,000th Eagle Scout registered

1982 Shaping Tommorrow project introduced

1983 15th World Jamboree, Kananaskis Country, Canada attended by 3,936 American Scouts for a total of 15,600 Scouts from 102 countries

1984 The third edition of the Fieldbook published

1984 Family Camping Association started

1984 Varsity Scouting launched

1985 11th National Jamboree, Fort A.P.Hill, VA attendance 32,615

1987 Anti-Drug Campaign

1987-88 16th World Jamboree, Cataract Park, Sydney, Australia attended by 3,063 American Scouts for a total of 14,634 Scouts from 98 countries

1988 First Scouting For Food

1989 Venture Program introduced

1989 12th National Jamboree, Fort A.P.Hill, VA attendance 32,717

1990 Pope John Paul presented with BSA's Distinguished Citizen of the World Commendation

1990 10th edition of Boy Socut handbook introduced

1990 Center for Professional Development opened in Westlake , TX

1991 Learning For Life Introduced

1991 17th World Jamboree, Soraksan National Park, South Korea attended by 1,010 American Scouts totaling 19,083 Scouts from 135 countries

1991 Ethics In Aciton Introduced

1991 BSA Family program introduced

1991 Conservation Handbook published

1991 Trail Boss program developed

1992 Six BSA regions reduced to four

1992 William Green Bar Bill Hillcourt passes away

1992 Cub Scout Academics program started

1993 13th National Jamboree, Fort A.P.Hill, VA attendance 32,000

1995 18th World Jamboree. Holland with total attendance of 29,066 Scouts from 166 countries

1997 14th National Jamboree, Fort A.P.Hill, VA

1999 19th World Jamboree, Picarquin, Chili

More info here also to come.


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