69 Fun Facts About Boy Scout

Who founded the Scout movement in 1907?

Robert Baden-Powell, a British Army lieutenant-general, founded Scouting; he tested his ideas with an experimental camp for about 20 boys in August 1907.

Where in Poole Harbour did the first experimental Scout camp take place in August 1907?

Brownsea Island, in Poole Harbour, hosted Baden-Powell's experimental camp of about 20 boys from 1 to 8 August 1907, its isolation keeping the press away.

How was each day at the 1907 experimental camp begun?

A blast on a kudu horn woke the camp each morning; Baden-Powell had taken the horn during the 1896 Matabele campaign in what is now Zimbabwe.

Which of these was NOT one of the four patrols at the 1907 experimental camp?

Otters was not a patrol; the 1907 camp's four patrols were Wolves, Ravens, Curlews and Bulls, each marked by a coloured shoulder knot.

Which Boer War siege made Baden-Powell a national hero in Britain?

Mafeking, besieged for 217 days in 1899-1900, made Baden-Powell famous; a cadet corps of boys aged 12 to 15 carried messages there, an idea he later reused.

Baden-Powell's founding handbook, published in 1908, was titled what?

Scouting for Boys, first issued in early 1908, recast Baden-Powell's military scouting methods as games and outdoor skills for boys and became one of the century's best-sellers.

How was Baden-Powell's 1908 handbook first published?

The parts sold so well that they were bound into a book on 1 May 1908; well over 100 million copies have been printed since.

Where did Baden-Powell spend his final years and die in 1941?

Nyeri, Kenya: Baden-Powell retired there in 1938 and died on 8 January 1941; he is buried in the town's St Peter's churchyard.

What symbol on Baden-Powell's gravestone is the trail sign for "I have gone home"?

The Kenyan government declared the grave a national monument in 2001.

With which family member did Baden-Powell start the Girl Guides Association in 1910?

His sister Agnes Baden-Powell led the Girl Guides from 1910, after girls calling themselves 'Girl Scouts' turned up at the September 1909 Crystal Palace rally.

In BSA legend, an 'Unknown Scout' helped Chicago publisher William Boyce find his way in which city?

London: in 1909 a boy guided Chicago publisher William D. Boyce to his destination in the city and refused a tip, saying Scouts do a good turn daily.

Which detail of the Unknown Scout legend do weather records contradict?

That London was foggy that day: the handbook version has Boyce lost in dense fog, but weather records for his 1909 London visit show no fog.

On what date was the Boy Scouts of America incorporated?

February 8, 1910: Chicago publisher William D. Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of America on that date, which Scouts mark each year as the organisation's birthday.

Who became the BSA's first Chief Scout Executive in 1911?

James E. West, a Washington lawyer, took the post in January 1911 and served as Chief Scout Executive until his retirement in 1943, 32 years.

Which naturalist and author, founder of the Woodcraft Indians, was the BSA's first Chief Scout?

Ernest Thompson Seton, who founded the Woodcraft Indians in 1902, was the BSA's Chief Scout from 1910 to 1915 and wrote much of its first handbook.

Which president signed the BSA's federal charter on June 15, 1916?

Woodrow Wilson signed the Boy Scouts of America's federal charter on June 15, 1916, giving the BSA exclusive rights to its name, badges and emblems.

How does the Scout Oath begin?

On my honor, I will do my best: the Scout Oath continues 'to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law'.

How many points does the BSA Scout Law contain?

12: the BSA Scout Law has twelve points; Baden-Powell's 1908 original had nine, and the Americans added brave, clean and reverent.

Which is the FIRST point of the Scout Law?

Trustworthy: the BSA Scout Law opens 'A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent'.

Per the original US handbook, the Scout Law drew on the code of which Japanese warriors?

The Samurai: the 1911 BSA Handbook for Boys said the Scout Law drew on Japan's Bushido code alongside the chivalry of medieval European knights.

What is the Scout motto?

Be Prepared is the Scout motto, chosen by Baden-Powell and sharing his initials; 'Do a Good Turn Daily' is the BSA slogan and 'Do Your Best' the Cub Scout motto.

How many fingers are raised in the Scout sign and salute?

Baden-Powell specified the thumb resting on the nail of the little finger, with the three others pointing up.

Which hand do Scouts around the world use for their handshake?

One popular origin story has Ashanti chiefs offering Baden-Powell their left hands, since a warrior had to lower his shield to do so.

What is the highest rank in Scouts BSA?

Eagle Scout is the top rank in Scouts BSA; the award was introduced in 1911, first earned in 1912, and requires a leadership service project.

Which rank comes immediately BEFORE Eagle in the Scouts BSA progression?

Life is the rank just below Eagle; until 1924 the order was reversed, with Life ranking below Star, and both began as merit-badge milestones rather than ranks.

How many merit badges must a Scout earn, at minimum, to become an Eagle Scout?

21: an Eagle candidate needs at least 21 merit badges, most from the Eagle-required list; the 1972 Improved Scouting Program briefly raised the total to 24.

Who received the first Eagle Scout award, in 1912?

Baden-Powell himself sat on his board of review, having landed in the United States earlier that day.

Before it was renamed in August 1911, the BSA's highest award was going to be called what?

The medal drawn in the handbook showed an eagle in flight, but the design changed again before any were issued.

Which colour Eagle Palm represents ten extra merit badges?

Gold: Eagle Palms, introduced in 1927, run Bronze for five extra merit badges, Gold for ten and Silver for fifteen.

Which of these Moon-walkers earned Eagle Scout as a boy?

Neil Armstrong earned Eagle Scout in Wapakoneta, Ohio, and carried a World Scout badge aboard Apollo 11 in 1969; Charles Duke and Jim Lovell were also Eagle Scouts.

Which US president was an Eagle Scout?

Gerald Ford earned Eagle Scout in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1927, the first Eagle Scout to become US president.

Which of these film directors is an Eagle Scout?

Steven Spielberg earned Eagle Scout as a teenager in Arizona and later helped the BSA create its Cinematography merit badge in 1989.

What do the three points of the fleur-de-lis on the World Scout Emblem represent?

The three parts of the Scout Promise: Baden-Powell said the fleur-de-lis's three points stand for duty to God and country, helping others and obeying the Scout Law.

How can you tell an Eagle-required merit badge patch from an elective one?

It has a silver border: Eagle-required merit badges carry a silver border on the patch, while elective badges have a green one.

The BSA's honor society for experienced campers is called what?

Order of the Arrow, founded in 1915, is the BSA's national honor society; members, known as Arrowmen, are elected by the youth of their own units.

At which camp on the Delaware River was the BSA's honor society founded in 1915?

Its original name, Wimachtendienk Wingolauchsik Witahemui, was based on the Lenape dialect.

In which state is Philmont Scout Ranch?

New Mexico: Philmont Scout Ranch covers about 140,000 acres of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Cimarron, in the north-east of the state.

Which oil baron donated the land that became Philmont Scout Ranch?

Waite Phillips, a Tulsa oilman, gave the BSA 35,857 acres in 1938 and a further 91,538 acres in 1941, creating Philmont Scout Ranch.

What is the name of Philmont's most recognisable landmark, a dacite monolith on an east-west ridge?

Tooth of Time, a dacite monolith on Philmont's east-west ridge, reputedly told Santa Fe Trail travellers they had about a week of travel left to Santa Fe.

Which is NOT one of the BSA's four national high-adventure bases?

Camp Wilderness is not one; the four national high-adventure bases are Philmont, Northern Tier, Florida Sea Base and the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia.

Where was the first BSA National Jamboree held in 1937?

Washington, D.C.: the first National Jamboree camped around the Washington Monument in 1937, two years after a polio outbreak forced the planned 1935 jamboree's cancellation.

Where was the first World Scout Jamboree held in 1920?

Olympia, London: the 1920 jamboree filled the Olympia exhibition hall in Kensington with about 8,000 Scouts from 34 countries, and Baden-Powell was acclaimed Chief Scout of the World.

The 2023 World Scout Jamboree in South Korea was cut short by what?

A heat wave then a tropical storm: hundreds were treated for heat illness, and the approach of Typhoon Khanun forced the Saemangeum site to be evacuated on 8 August 2023.

Which city was chosen to host the 26th World Scout Jamboree in 2027?

Gdańsk, Poland was selected by the 2021 World Scout Conference to host the 26th World Scout Jamboree in 2027, the first jamboree held in Poland.

In what year was the World Organization of the Scout Movement established?

1922: the World Organization of the Scout Movement dates from the 1922 International Scout Conference in Paris, which adopted its first constitution.

Which Kipling stories supplied the Akela and Baloo roles used in Cub Scouting?

The Jungle Book: Baden-Powell, a friend of Kipling, borrowed Akela the wolf and Baloo the bear from it when he launched the Wolf Cubs in 1916.

Per a 1954 Cub handbook, the name Webelos was originally formed from the initials of which words?

Wolf, Bear, Lion, Scout: the 1954 handbook derived Webelos from the three Cub ranks plus Scout; it was later reinterpreted as 'We'll Be Loyal Scouts'.

Which Cub Scout rank, dropped in 1967, was later revived as a kindergarten programme?

Lion, the old rank for 11-year-old Cubs, was dropped in 1967 and returned in the 2010s as a kindergarten programme in which each Lion has an adult partner.

In what year did the BSA formally recognise Cub Scouting?

1930: after years of unofficial 'Cubbing' experiments, the BSA formally launched Cub Scouting in 1930 for boys aged 9 to 11.

The first Pinewood Derby was held in 1953 in which California city?

Manhattan Beach, California: Cubmaster Don Murphy ran the first Pinewood Derby there for Pack 280C in May 1953, sponsored by North American Aviation's Management Club.

Under standard BSA Pinewood Derby rules, a finished car usually may not exceed what weight?

Five ounces: standard BSA Pinewood Derby rules cap a finished car at 5.0 ounces, and the kit supplies a pine block, four plastic wheels and four nail axles.

Under what name did the BSA begin doing business on February 8, 2025?

The legal name is unchanged, as is the flagship programme's name, Scouts BSA, adopted in 2019 when girls were admitted.

What is the highest award in Cub Scouting?

Arrow of Light is Cub Scouting's highest award, earned in the final year before a Cub moves up to a Scouts BSA troop, and is the one Cub badge worn on the Scout uniform.

Which illustrator drew Boys' Life covers from 1913 and BSA calendars from 1925 to 1976?

Norman Rockwell, Boys' Life art director at 19 in 1913, painted Brown & Bigelow's BSA calendars from 1925 to 1976; the magazine became Scout Life in 2021.

Which songwriter gave the royalties of "God Bless America" to the Boy and Girl Scouts?

Irving Berlin assigned the royalties of 'God Bless America' to the God Bless America Fund, set up in 1940 to benefit Boy Scout and Girl Scout councils.

Where is the Silver Buffalo Award presented to the Unknown Scout in 1926 kept?

A statue of a buffalo with a plaque was presented alongside it.

The Wood Badge beads came from a necklace once owned by which Zulu chief?

Dinizulu: Baden-Powell acquired the Zulu chief's long necklace of wooden beads during the 1888 campaign, and two of its beads became the first Wood Badge awards in 1919.

Who founded the Girl Scouts of the USA in Savannah, Georgia, in 1912?

Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts in Savannah, Georgia, on March 12, 1912, a year after meeting Baden-Powell in England.

What emblem do the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts use instead of a fleur-de-lis?

The World Trefoil design adopted in 1930 is a gold trefoil on a blue background.

Why were neckerchiefs chosen as part of the Scout uniform?

Shirts had thick seams so they could be turned into stretchers with the Scouts' staves.

Which country founded the first national Scout organisation outside the British Empire, in May 1909?

Chile formed its Scout association on 21 May 1909 after Baden-Powell visited Santiago, the first national organisation outside the British Empire.

Which item replaced the high-collar jacket in the BSA uniform in the early 1920s?

A shirt and neckerchief: in the early 1920s the BSA dropped its military-style high-collar coat for an open-collar shirt worn with a neckerchief, as British Scouts did.

In what year did the Boy Scouts of America begin admitting girls to its flagship Scouts BSA program?

2019: the flagship program was renamed Scouts BSA on February 1, 2019, and girls were admitted that day in all-girl troops.

To which Texas city did the BSA move its national headquarters in 1979?

The organisation moved its headquarters from New Jersey to the Dallas suburb of Irving in 1979.

Which US president was the first to serve as the BSA's honorary president, in 1910?

William Howard Taft became the BSA's first honorary president in 1910, beginning the tradition of the sitting US president holding the post.

Which adventurer and TV survivalist became the UK Scout Association's Chief Scout in July 2009?

Grylls succeeded the television presenter Peter Duncan, who had held the role since 2004.

What is the UK Scout Association's section for children aged 4 to 6 called?

Squirrels sit below Beavers (6–8) and Cubs (8–10½) in the British age ladder.

In what year did the BSA file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection?

The filing came on February 18, 2020, amid tens of thousands of abuse claims that later produced a multi-billion-dollar settlement fund.

Baden-Powell's 1899 military manual, whose sales boomed after Mafeking, was titled what?

Boys unexpectedly took to the small army manual, which prompted Baden-Powell to rewrite it for youth as Scouting for Boys.