Rotary Milestones

1905


First Rotary club organized in Chicago, Illinois, USA
1908


Second club formed in San Francisco, California, USA
1910


First Rotary convention held in Chicago, Illinois, USA
1912


The Rotary Club of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, becomes the first club outside the United States to be officially chartered. (The club was formed in 1910.)
1917


Endowment fund, forerunner of The Rotary Foundation, established
1932


4-Way Test formulated by Chicago Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor
1945


Forty-nine Rotarians help draft United Nations Charter in San Francisco
1947


Rotary founder Paul Harris dies; first 18 Rotary Foundation scholarships granted
1962


First Interact club formed in Melbourne, Florida, USA
1965


Rotary Foundation launches Matching Grants and Group Study Exchange programs
1985


Rotary announces PolioPlus program to immunize all the children of the world against polio
1989


Council on Legislation opens Rotary membership to women worldwide; Rotary clubs chartered in Budapest, Hungary, and Warsaw, Poland, for first time in almost 50 years
1990


Rotary Club of Moscow chartered first club in Soviet Union
1990-91


Preserve Planet Earth program inspires some 2,000 Rotary-sponsored environmental projects
1994


Western Hemisphere declared polio-free
1999



Rotary Centers for International Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution established
2000



Western Pacific declared polio-free
2001


30,000th Rotary club chartered
2002


Europe declared polio-free; first class of 70 Rotary Peace Scholars begin study
2003


Rotarians raise more than US$118 million to support the final stages of polio eradication
2004


RI’s largest convention with 45,381 attendees, held in Osaka, Japan
2005


Rotary Celebrates centennial in Chicago, Illinois, USA

Source: www.rotary.org

AP*