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Eagle Scout is just about the most significant accomplishment a boy can do. The award has value in adult society because of the example and success of past Eagles in adult life. Today, more than 1.5 million boys and men have earned Eagle Scout.
Here are the requirements for the BSA's highest rank since its creation in 1911. By my count, there have been about 11 different sets of requirements, though changes were sometimes minimal. A boy could begin his advancement toward Eagle when he became a Scout (age 12 until 1949, age 11 until 1972, about age 10-1/2 since). Until 1952, adult men could also earn Eagle; since then the opportunity to earn the award stops at age 18. Note that neither leadership nor service were required until almost 50 years after Scouting's founding.
Of the original 1911 requirements, Eagle Scouts today still have to earn First Class, and still have to earn a total of 21 merit badges. Of the original Eagle required list of 11 badges from 1914, today's Eagles must still earn Camping and First Aid (and today's Personal Fitness is a direct successor to Personal Health). Lifesaving is still on the Eagle list, but is optional.
1910
The BSA comes into existence. For the first few months, the highest rank is First Class.
1911 Eagle Requirements
The BSA adds three higher ranks for earning merit badges beyond First Class: Life, Star, and Eagle (Star was switched before Life in 1924, apparently because the five points of the Star could symbolize the five merit badges required for the rank). Neither Life nor Star is required for Eagle (a Scouting magazine article [May-June 2003] indicated that 8 of the first 9 Eagle Scouts [including Arthur Eldred, the BSA's first Eagle] did not earn either Life or Star ranks).
- Earn First Class
- Earn any 21 merit badges
1914 Eagle Requirements
[created an Eagle required list of 11 badges by adding 6 badges to the 5 formerly required for Life]
- Earn First Class
- Earn 21 merit badges, including the following 11:
First Aid
Physical Development
Lifesaving
Personal Health
Public Health
Cooking
Camping
Bird Study
Pathfinding
Pioneering
Athletics
1915 Eagle Requirements
[made Physical Development optional along with Athletics; added Civics]
- Earn First Class
- Earn 21 merit badges, including the following 11:
First Aid
Lifesaving
Personal Health
Public Health
Cooking
Camping
Civics
Bird Study
Pathfinding
Pioneering
Athletics OR Physical Development
1927 Eagle Requirements
[required 1 year active service as First Class Scout]
- Be active as a First Class Scout for at least 1 year
- Earn 21 merit badges, including the following 12:
First Aid
Lifesaving
Personal Health
Public Health
Cooking
Camping
Civics
Bird Study
Pathfinding
Pioneering
Athletics OR Physical Development
(Swimming–not listed, but required for Lifesaving)
1936 Eagle Requirements
[for the first time, required earning Star and Life ranks; added Safety]
- Be active as a Life Scout for at least 6 months
- Earn 21 merit badges, including the following 13:
First Aid
Lifesaving
Personal Health
Public Health
Cooking
Camping
Civics
Bird Study
Pathfinding
Safety
Pioneering
Athletics OR Physical Development
(Swimming–not listed, but required for Lifesaving)
In 1952, maximum age set at 18; before that there was no maximum age at which a boy or man could earn Eagle.
1958 Eagle Requirements
[now it gets complicated—a maze of merit badge options adding up to 16 required badges (from a list of 65 badge choices!) and 5 other badges; plus the first requirement to provide leadership and give service]
- Do your best to live up to the Scout Promise, Law, Motto, and Slogan
- Be active as a Life Scout for at least 6 months
- While a Life Scout, work actively as a leader in meetings, outdoor activities, and service projects of your unit
- While a Life Scout, do your best to help in your home, school, church, and community
- While a Life Scout, take care of things that belong to you and respect the property of others
- Earn 21 merit badges, including:
1 badge from the CONSERVATION group (Forestry, Soil and Water Conservation, Wildlife Management)
3 badges from the CITIZENSHIP group (Citizenship in the Home, Cit. in the Community, Cit. in the Nation, World Brotherhood)
Camping
Cooking
Swimming
Lifesaving
Nature
Personal Fitness
Public Health
Safety
Firemanship
First Aid
1 badge from the OUTDOOR SPORTS group (Archery, Athletics, Cycling, Fishing, Hiking, Horsemanship, Marksmanship, Skiing)
1 badge from any of the following groups: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY, PLANT CULTIVATION, COMMUNICATION, TRANSPORTATION, BUILDING (40 badges to choose from)
1965 Eagle Requirements
[eliminated the complex merit badge list and returned to a simple list of 11 required badges; required specific leadership and a community service project]
- Earn 21 merit badges, including:
Camping
Cooking
Citizenship in the Community
Citizenship in the Nation
Nature
Soil and Water Conservation
Personal Fitness
First Aid
Swimming
Lifesaving
Safety
- While a Life Scout, serve actively for 6 months as a troop warrant officer [patrol leader, senior patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, junior assistant scoutmaster, instructor, scribe, quartermaster, librarian, den chief]
- While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and carry out a service project helpful to your church or synagogue, school, or community
- Take part in a Scoutmaster Conference (includes living up to Scout Promise, Law, Motto, and Slogan)
1970 Eagle Requirements
[alphabetized the required list of badges; Conservation of Natural Resources replaced Soil and Water Conservation]
- Earn 21 merit badges, including:
Camping
Citizenship in the Community
Citizenship in the Nation
Conservation of Natural Resources
Cooking
First Aid
Lifesaving
Nature
Personal Fitness
Safety
Swimming
- While a Life Scout, serve actively for 6 months as a troop warrant officer [patrol leader, senior patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, junior assistant scoutmaster, instructor, scribe, quartermaster, librarian, den chief]
- While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and carry out a service project helpful to your church or synagogue, school, or community
- Take part in a Scoutmaster Conference (includes living up to Scout Promise, Law, Motto, and Slogan)
1972 Eagle Requirements
[increased total badges required to 24, reflecting the new requirement to earn 5 merit badges for First Class; dropped Camping, Cooking, Nature; renamed/updated Conservation of Natural Resources as Environmental Science; added Citizenship in the World (formerly World Brotherhood), Communications, Personal Management (formerly Personal Finance), and optional Emergency Preparedness and Sports; made Swimming, Lifesaving, and Personal Fitness optional; for the first time, permitted a boy to earn Eagle Scout without knowing how to swim and without having any particular outdoor or camping experience; troop offices now referred to simply as a "position" rather than as "leadership"]
- Be active as a Life Scout for at least 6 months
- Show Scout spirit
- Earn 24 merit badges, including:
First Aid
Citizenship in the Community
Citizenship in the Nation
Citizenship in the World
Communications
Safety
Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving
Environmental Science
Personal Management
Personal Fitness OR Swimming OR Sports
- While a Life Scout, serve actively for 6 months in one of the following positions [patrol leader, junior assistant scoutmaster, scribe, den chief, quartermaster, librarian, member of the leadership corps, senior patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, or instructor]
- While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and carry out a service project helpful to your religious institution, school, or town
- Take part in a Personal Growth Agreement Conference (Scoutmaster Conference)
1978 Eagle Requirements
[reduced the Eagle total back to 21 merit badges; restored Camping to the required list]
- Be active as a Life Scout for at least 6 months
- Show Scout spirit
- Earn 21 merit badges, including:
First Aid
Citizenship in the Community
Citizenship in the Nation
Citizenship in the World
Communications
Safety
Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving
Environmental Science
Personal Management
Personal Fitness OR Swimming OR Sports
Camping
Family Life (added later)
- While a Life Scout, serve actively for 6 months in one or more of the following positions (later called positions of responsibility) [patrol leader, senior patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, den chief, scribe, librarian, quartermaster, member of the leadership corps, junior assistant scoutmaster, instructor (later added chaplain aide and troop guide, and dropped leadership corps)]
- While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community
- Take part in a Personal Growth Agreement Conference (renamed back to Scoutmaster Conference in the early 1980s)
1999 Eagle Requirements
[made Personal Fitness mandatory for the first time since 1972; dropped Safety and Sports as Eagle badges; added Hiking and Cycling as optional Eagle badges]
- Be active as a Life Scout for at least 6 months
- Show Scout spirit
- Earn 21 merit badges, including:
First Aid
Citizenship in the Community
Citizenship in the Nation
Citizenship in the World
Communications
Personal Fitness
Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving
Environmental Science
Personal Management
Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling
Camping
Family Life
- While a Life Scout, serve actively for 6 months in one or more of the following positions of responsibility [assistant senior patrol leader, chaplain aide, den chief, instructor, junior assistant scoutmaster, librarian, patrol leader, quartermaster, scribe, senior patrol leader, troop guide]
- While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community
- Take part in a Scoutmaster Conference
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