1905-1935:
Toastmasters Begins
1905 – Building the foundation
Bloomington, Illinois, YMCA Education Director Ralph C. Smedley sees a need for enhancing public speaking skills, and organizes a Toastmasters Club, referencing the role of a “toastmaster” at banquets. The club’s first meeting is held March 24, 1905, in Bloomington, Illinois. The club disbands when Smedley moves away for a job promotion.
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Copy of a speech, “The Hen and the Egg,” which was delivered at the first meeting of the Freeport Toastmasters Club on March 27, 1907.
1924 – The official start of Toastmasters
On October 22, approximately two dozen men meet in the basement of the YMCA in Santa Ana, California, which marks the birth of today’s Toastmasters.
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Ralph C. Smedley leading a club meeting in 1925.
1926 – A second club
In Anaheim, California, the second Toastmasters club is chartered.
1930 – The Gavel
The organization’s first bulletin—The Gavel—is published.
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First issue of The Gavel (December 1930)
1932 – Officially Toastmasters International
The name Toastmasters International is adopted and incorporated.
1933 – The Toastmaster magazine
The Toastmaster magazine is published and produced quarterly, replacing The Gavel. In 1946, the magazine would transition to its current monthly schedule.
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Some of the early issues of The Toastmaster magazine
1935 – First club outside of North America
The first Toastmasters club outside North America charters in Southport, England.