Rotary Global History Fellowship

The archive

The RGHF Timeline

Twelve decades of service before self, in the order it happened.

31 dated records on the spine — open any era below to browse its full record set.

  1. February 23, 1905
    FreeFounding Era, 1905-1911

    Rotary is founded in Chicago

  2. 1910
    Free

    The First "Convention"

    More properly a meeting, or gathering that did result in an association

  3. 1912
    Free

    3rd Convention

    In 1912 the movement became the International Association of Rotary Clubs in Duluth, the Zenith City of the USA. The motion to change names was made by C E Fletcher of Winnipeg Rotary Club, Canada – the only 'international' club present. Telegrams from the British Isles were received at the Convention. Fletcher, incidentally, declined the offer of…

  4. 1921
    Free

    12th convention – Edinburgh

    It was THE Convention – "perhaps the most amazing- and certainly the most significant – of all the Rotary Conventions ever held".

  5. 1921
    FreeEarly Expansion, 1912-1929

    First Rotary club in Africa: Johannesburg

  6. January 10, 1924
    FreeEarly Expansion, 1912-1929

    Inner Wheel is founded

  7. July 1, 1933
    FreeDepression and War Years, 1930-1945

    District 78 (Sweden) is established

  8. July 10, 1939
    FreeDepression and War Years, 1930-1945

    First Rotary club of Senegal: Dakar

  9. January 27, 1947
    FreePostwar Growth, 1946-1969

    Death of Rotary founder Paul Harris

  10. July 1, 1987
    FreeWomen Admitted to Rotary, 1987-1999

    Sylvia Whitlock becomes first woman club president

  11. July 1, 1989
    FreeWomen Admitted to Rotary, 1987-1999

    Women officially welcomed into Rotary worldwide

The full record set

Browse every dated record, era by era

The spine above is the curated story. Everything the archive holds sits beneath it — open an era to read it, or follow an era title to its full archive page.