History

"WHATEVER ROTARY CAN COME WITH US, TO THE WORLD WILL BE KNOWN BY THE RESULTS."
—PAUL P. HARRIS

Our 1.2 million membership organization began with the vision of a man - Paul P. Harris. On February 23, 1905, the Chicago lawyer was one of the world's first service organizations, the Rotary Club of Chicago, a place where professionals with different backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, life-long friendships. The name of Rotary came from the group's early practice of turning sessions into the offices of each member.
 

OUR COMMITMENT

 
Rotarians were not only present at great events in history - we were part of them. From the outset, three key features remained strong at Rotary: we are truly international. Only 16 years after establishment, Rotary clubs on six continents. Today, we work together around the world to solve some of the world's most difficult problems. We insist in difficult times. In the Second World War the Rotary clubs had to be dissolved in Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and Japan. Despite the risks, many continue to meet informally and after the end of the war, members of the Rotary team together to rebuild their clubs and their countries. Our commitment to service is ongoing. We started our fight against the polio in 1979 with a project to immunize 6 million children in the Philippines. By 2012, only three countries of 125 in 1988 remain polio-endemic.
 

NOtABLE ROTARIANS

Rotarians are your neighbors, your church leaders and some of the world's best historians:
  • Warren G. Harding, US President
  • Jean Sibelius, Finnish composer
  • Dr. Charles H. Mayo, co-founder of Mayo Clinic
  • Guglielmo Marconi, Italian inventor of wireless radio and Nobel laureate
  • Thomas Mann, German novelist and Nobel laureate
  • Friedrich Bergius, German chemist and Nobel laureate
  • Admiral Richard E. Byrd, American researcher
  • Jan Masaryk, Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia HE.
  • Soleiman Frangieh, President of Lebanon
  • Dianne Feinstein, US Senator
  • Manny Pacquaio, Filipino World Champion and Congressman
  • Richard Lugar, US Senator
  • Frank Borman, American astronaut
  • Edgar A. Gast, American poet and journalist
  • Sir Harry Lauder, Scottish entertainer
  • Franz Lehar, Austrian composer
  • Lennart Nilsson, Swedish photographer
  • James Cash Penney, founder of JC Penney Co.
  • Carlos Romulo, Chairman of the UN General Assembly
  • Sigmund Sternberg, English merchant and philanthropist
Ready to make history with us? Take part.