Merit Badge History Pages

When one is asked about the icons of Scouting, the most commonly identified are: the campfire, the uniform, and merit badges. The merit badge program has delivered knowledge, skills and career awareness to millions of youth for the last 100 years.

Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell

The preface of Scouting for Boys, written in 1908, by Lord Robert Baden-Powell; the founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, included a description of the four components of the Scouting program. The second of those components was, "Handicrafts or hobbies which may help a boy to make his way in life, for which we give ‘Proficiency’ badges"

William Dickson Boyce

In 1910, the American Scouting movement was incorporated by William D Boyce and others. The original edition of The Official Handbook for Boys was published in 1911 to standardize the program. In addressing merit badges, known at that time as Badges of Merit, the manual stated, "These badges are intended to stimulate the boy’s interest in the life about him and are given for general knowledge". That purpose has changed little since those early days. Recent editions of the Boy Scout Handbook stated, "A merit badge is an invitation to explore an exciting subject... some merit badges encourage you to increase your skill in subjects you already like, while others challenge you to learn about new areas of knowledge ... a merit badge can even lead you toward a lifelong hobby or set you on the way to a rewarding career"

Ernest Thompson Seton

Ernest Thompson-Seton, an author, nature artist, and naturalist from New York, was commissioned to adapt Scouting for Boys into a manual for the new BSA organization and his 1910 publication included 14 Badges of Merit. The following year, a more comprehensive manual was released by the BSA and is considered the original handbook. The Official Handbook for Boys listed 57 different merit badges available to Scouts. From that point on, national leaders of the organization have considered and approved merit badges on subjects that interest boys and helped to achieve the purposes of the BSA.

Merit Badge History Pages

Aerodynamics

Aeronautics

Agribusiness

Agriculture

Airplane Design

Airplane Structure

Angling

Animal Industry

Atomic Energy

Auto Mechanics

Automobiling

Automotive Safety

Bee Farming

Bee Keeping

Beef Production

Beekeeping

Blacksmithing

Bookbinding

Botany

Business

Carpentry

Cement Work

Cinematography

Citizenship

Citizenship in the Home

Citrus Fruit Culture

Civics

Computers

Conservation

Conservation of Natural Resources

Consumer Buying

Corn Farming

Cotton Farming

Craftsmanship

Dairying

Dramatics

Farm and Ranch Management

Farm Arrangement

Farm Home and its Planning

Farm Layout and Building Arrangement

Farm Records

Farm Records and Bookkeeping

Firemanship

First Aid to Animals

Food Systems

Forage Crops

Foundry Practice

Fruit and Nut Growing

Fruit Culture

General Science

Grasses, Legumes, and Forage Crops

Handicapped Awareness

Handicraft

Hog and Pork Production

Hog Production

Insect Life

Interpreting

Invention

Landscape Gardening

Landscaping

Leathercraft

Machinery

Mammals

Markmanship

Masonry

Mechanical Drawing

Medicine

Metallurgy

Metals Engineering

Mining

Nut Culture

Ornithology

Pathfinding

Personal Finances

Personal Health

Physical Development

Pigeon Raising

Poultry Keeping

Printing

Rabbit Raising

Reptile Study

Rifle and Shotgun Shooting

Rocks and Minerals