The first Rotary club in the world was organized in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., on 23 February, 1905, by Paul P. Harris, a young lawyer who gathered together in a spirit of firendship and understanding a group of men, each of whom was engaged in a different form of service to the public. That basis of membership - one man from each business and profession in the community - still exists in Rotary. At first, the members of the new club met in rotation at the various places of business of the members, and this suggested the name "Rotary."
Since 1905, the ideas of Paul Harris and his friends have become ideals which have been accepted by men of practically all nationalities, and of many political and religious beliefs. Today there are Rotary Clubs in Austria and American Samoa, in Brazil and Brunel, in India and Italy, in Scotland and South Africa - in some 149 countries and 39 geographical areas. The universal acceptance of Rotary principles has been so great that there are as of August 1995, more than 27,421 Rotary clubs, which have a membership of over 1,206,453.
The general obfectives of Rotary clubs in every country are the same - the development of fellowship and understanding among the business and professional individuals in the community, the promotion of community-betterment endeavors and the high standards in business and professional understanding, good will, and peace. Rotary clubs everywhere have one basic ideal - the "ideal of service," which is thoughtfulness and helpfulness to others.