History

Our 1.2 million-member organization started with the vision of one man—Paul P. Harris. The Chicago attorney formed one of the world’s first service organizations, the Rotary Club of Chicago, on 23 February 1905 as a place where professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships. Rotary’s name came from the group’s early practice of rotating meetings among the offices of each member.

“WHATEVER ROTARY MAY MEAN TO US, TO THE WORLD IT WILL BE KNOWN BY THE RESULTS IT ACHIEVES.”

PAUL P. HARRIS

OUR ONGOING COMMITMENT

Rotarians have not only been present for major events in history—we’ve been a part of them. From the beginning, three key traits have remained strong throughout Rotary:
 
  1. We’re truly international. Only 16 years after being founded, Rotary had clubs on six continents. Today we’re working together from around the globe both digitally and in-person to solve some of our world’s most challenging problems.
  2. We persevere in tough times. During WWII, Rotary clubs in Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, and Japan were forced to disband. Despite the risks, many continued to meet informally and following the war’s end, Rotary members joined together to rebuild their clubs and their countries.
  3. Our commitment to service is ongoing. We began our fight against polio in 1979 with a project to immunize 6 million children in the Philippines. By 2012, only three countries remain polio-endemic—down from 125 in 1988.
1910: Clubs form an association
Interested? Learn more about Rotary International.
Rotary Timeline
Rotary Leaders
Our Structure

NOTABLE ROTARIANS

Rotarians are your neighbors, your community leaders and some of the world’s notible current and former active history makers: 
 
  • Neil Armstrong, Astronaut
  • Dr. Charles H. Mayo, co-founder of Mayo Clinic
  • Winston Chrurchill, Prime Minister of England
  • Walt Disney, Animation filmaker
  • Guglielmo Marconi, Italian inventor of the wireless radio and Nobel laureate
  • Thomas Mann, German novelist and Nobel laureate
  • Warren G. Harding, U.S. president
  • Friedrich Bergius, German chemist and Nobel laureate
  • Admiral Richard E. Byrd, American explorer
  • Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Chruch
  • Joyce Hall, Founder of Hallmark Cards
  • Jan Masaryk, foreign minister of Czechoslovakia
  • Chia Kan K.C. Yen, President of Taiwan Reblic of China
  • Duke Kahanamoku, Olympic gold metalist
  • Dianne Feinstein, U.S. senator
  • Manny Pacquaio, Filipino world-champion boxer and congressman
  • Orville Wright, Co-Inventor of the first successful airplane
  • Frank Borman, American astronaut
  • Adlai Stevenson, Former Ambassador to the UN
  • Edgar A. Guest, American poet and journalist
  • Sir Harry Lauder, Scottish entertainer
  • Franz Lehar, Austrian composer
  • Chang Soon Yoo, Prime Minister of the 5th Republic of South Korea
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt, US President
  • Lennart Nilsson, Swedish photographer
  • James Cash Penney, founder of JC Penney Co.
  • Harland Sanders, Founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken
  • Carlos Romulo, UN General Assembly president
  • Sam Walmart, Founder of Walmart
  • Sigmund Sternberg, English businessman and philanthropist
Ready to make history with us? Get involved.