• The Beginnings
  Toastmasters was founded by Dr. Ralph C. Smedley in Santa Ana, California. The Santa Ana Toastmasters Club held its first meeting in the YMCA basement on October 22 1924. This date marks the beginning of our organisation. Since then the Toastmasters movement has forged ahead uninterrupted.

• A Life's Work
  The Toastmasters movement were fortunate to be able to grow and become firmly established under Smedley's leadership of 41 years. He conceived it, believed in it, and devoted his life to Toastmasters' success. With much enthusiasm, confidence and hard work, he persuaded men to become Toastmasters, inspiring and motivating them to develop their abilities to communicate.

• Growth
  In 1962,Toastmasters had grown to an organisation of 80,000 members and 3500 clubs world-wide and thus constructed its own building in Santa Ana. A large growth in membership came following the decision to accept women as members in 1973 and by 1985, the Santa Ana building was serving 120,000 members and 5,300 clubs world-wide. In July 1990, Toastmasters International moved to a new world headquarters in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. Today there are more than 170,000 members who take part in 8,000 clubs in over 58 countries world wide.

• Toastmasters Clubs
  Today thousands of corporations and government agencies sponsor in-house Toastmasters clubs as communication training workshops for their employees. Specialised clubs meet at military bases, colleges and universities, churches and prisons. There are Toastmasters clubs for senior citizens, professional groups, bilingual groups, singles and the visually impaired.

• A Real Need
  Shortly before his death in 1965 at age 87, Toastmasters founder Ralph C. Smedley reminisced: "As I look back at over half a century of connection with the Toastmasters movement, I am impressed by the fact that a simple idea put to work in so simple a manner, has grown into such an instrument for service for so many people. It must have met a real need."

             From The Toastmaster Magazine October 1994