Scout Week - Merit Badges
In keeping with the Scout Week theme and looking back on some of Scouting's history, I decided to browse Wikipedia at their Scouting Portal to find some more history on Scouting. I found an interesting article on the History of Merit Badges.
Merit badges exist to introduce Scouts to various areasthat interest them and to teach them various important life skills (First Aid). Sometimes these badges will introduce Scouts to a field that they may pursue further into a hobby or career (some might find it ironic that I did not receive the Computers Merit Badge and have been a lifelong geek). Not only do requirments change over time, but the actual badges available for Scouts to earn have changed over time. Generally changes are made based on popularity, changes in society, or shifts in BSA focus.
Today, only 11 of the original 57 merit badges from 1911 are still available today. These are Architecture, Art, Athletics, Chemistry, First Aid, Lifesaving, Music, Plumbing, Public Health, Scholarship, and Surveying. There is a long list of discontinued merit badges at Wikipedia as well. Two entries that I found interesting were:
- Aerodynamics and Aeronautics (both replaced Aviation in 1941 and then were replaced themselves by Aviation in 1952).
- Invention was discontinued in 1915 and was earned by only 10 Scouts
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