70 Fun Facts About Boy Scout

Who founded the Scout movement in 1907?

He was a British Army officer whose military scouting manuals had already been picked up by teachers and youth groups before he wrote one for boys.

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

The island was isolated from the mainland and the press but only a short ferry ride from Poole, which made the logistics easy.

How was each day at the 1907 experimental camp begun?

He used the same horn to open the Coming of Age Jamboree 22 years later in 1929.

The boys at the 1907 experimental camp were split into four patrols. Which of these was NOT one of them?

The boys had no uniforms, just khaki scarves and a coloured shoulder knot: green for Bulls, blue for Wolves, yellow for Curlews and red for Ravens.

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

A cadet corps of boys aged 12 to 15 carried messages during the siege, and their performance helped inspire Scouting for Boys.

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

It was a rewrite of his 1899 military manual Aids to Scouting, recast for outdoorsmen and explorers rather than soldiers.

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?

His gravestone bears a circle with a dot in the centre, the trail sign for "I have gone home".

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?

The push came after girls in Scout uniform turned up at a 1909 Crystal Palace rally and told him they were the "Girl Scouts".

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

The boy refused a tip, saying he was only doing his daily good turn; Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of America a few months later.

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

The Scout also only helped Boyce cross a street to a hotel, and Boyce never met Baden-Powell, whatever the handbooks said.

On what date was the Boy Scouts of America incorporated?

The 2025 rename to Scouting America deliberately took effect on the same date, the 115th anniversary.

Who became the first Chief Scout Executive of the BSA in 1911, a post he held for 35 years?

He was hired on a six-month temporary basis and stayed until after World War II.

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

His feud with Dan Beard over who really founded Scouting is why the BSA began promoting the Unknown Scout story instead.

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

One reason for seeking the charter was to see off rival groups such as the United States Boy Scouts and the Lone Scouts of America.

How does the Scout Oath begin?

James E. West was instrumental in expanding the third part about being physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

How many points does the BSA Scout Law contain?

Baden-Powell's original 1908 law had nine points; the BSA later added brave, clean and reverent.

Which is the FIRST point of the Scout Law?

The last point, reverent, was one of three the Americans added to Baden-Powell's original nine.

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

European chivalry, Native American codes of honour and the Zulu warriors Baden-Powell fought were the other cited influences.

What is the Scout motto?

"Do a good turn daily" is the slogan, not the motto, and "Do Your Best" belongs to the Cub Scouts.

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?

Only about four percent of Scouts have earned it since 1911, though that still adds up to more than 2.8 million people.

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

Until 1924 the order was reversed and Life preceded Star; originally they were not ranks at all but merit-badge milestones.

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

The 1972 Improved Scouting Program briefly raised the total to 24 while cutting the required list to ten.

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?

Palms were introduced in 1927 for Eagles who kept earning badges after reaching the top rank.

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

Charles Duke of Apollo 16 and Jim Lovell of Apollo 13 are two more Eagle Scouts who flew to the Moon.

Which US president was an Eagle Scout?

Other Eagle Scouts in high office include Robert Gates, Donald Rumsfeld, Rex Tillerson and Justice Stephen Breyer.

Which director of Jaws and E.T. is an Eagle Scout?

Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe and Imagine Dragons singer Dan Reynolds are also on the list.

How many merit badges are currently available for Scouts to earn?

Badges required for Eagle are distinguished by a silver border on the patch.

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

Badges are worn on a sash on formal occasions, and the National Council revises the list every year.

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

Members are elected by their own units and are known as Arrowmen.

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.

What are the three membership levels of the Arrowmen's society?

Terminology was rewritten in the 1930s to sound less Masonic before the OA became an official BSA program in 1948.

In which state is Philmont Scout Ranch?

At nearly 220 square miles it is described as the largest youth camp in the world.

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

His 1938 gift of 35,857 acres, made in the middle of the Great Depression, came with one condition: that the land be used for Scouting.

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

Santa Fe Trail travellers knew that once they passed it they had a week left to Santa Fe, hence the name.

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

Northern Tier straddles Minnesota, Manitoba and Ontario, and Sea Base reaches the Bahamas and the US Virgin Islands.

Where was the first BSA National Jamboree held in 1937?

It had been planned for 1935 but was cancelled by a polio outbreak; Dan Beard opened it by lighting a fire with flint and steel.

Where was the first World Scout Jamboree held in 1920?

About 8,000 Scouts from 34 countries attended, and Baden-Powell was acclaimed Chief Scout of the World.

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

British and American contingents had already left the Saemangeum site; the programme finished in Seoul on military bases and campuses.

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

The 2019 edition was at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia.

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

The BSA's James E. West was persuaded to write its constitution and by-laws.

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

Baden-Powell launched the Wolf Cubs in 1916 and wanted them clearly distinct from Scouts so the older programme did not look juvenile.

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

It was later given the backronym "We'll Be Loyal Scouts".

Which Cub Scout rank was dropped in 1967 and revived in 2017 as a kindergarten programme?

Since 2017 the dens have run Lion, Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos and Arrow of Light from kindergarten to fifth grade.

In what year did the BSA formally recognise Cub Scouting?

James E. West had resisted for years, worried a younger-boy programme would draw boys away from troops.

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

Cubmaster Don Murphy came up with it, sponsored by the Management Club at North American Aviation.

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

The kit is a block of wood, four plastic wheels and four nails for axles, and all nine pieces must be used.

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.

In what year was the BSA's peak youth membership of more than four million recorded?

Membership is now around one million youth, served by more than 400,000 adult volunteers.

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

The magazine was renamed Scout Life in 2021.

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

The arrangement has sent millions of dollars to Scouting councils in the decades since.

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.

Where is the world's oldest Scout adult-training site, which held its first Wood Badge course in 1919?

Wood Badge remains the highest level of adult leader training in Scouting America, run as a five-day outdoor course.

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

She had met Baden-Powell the year before, and the organisation has been run exclusively for girls ever since.

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?

By 2019 there were more than 55 million Scouts and Guides in at least 155 countries.

Which item replaced the high-collar jacket in the BSA uniform after the 1920 World Jamboree?

Shorts were added as an option at the same time.

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

The flagship program was renamed Scouts BSA on February 1, 2019, and girls join in separate all-girl troops.

In which Texas city has the BSA's national headquarters been located since 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 chair, in 1910?

Every sitting president since Taft has held the honorary 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.