BE PREPARED!

Were The Boy Scouts Inspired By A Book? 10 Incredible Scout Facts

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Being a Girl or a Boy Scout is a commitment that forges one's character and discipline for life. It involves embracing a series of rules that will instill a sense of responsibility, moral duty, and practicality.

Over the years, Scouts have participated in numerous historical events, and the very core of the organization has adapted and thrived to remain as relevant and meaningful as ever. Take a look at ten of these events, famous members that graced its ranks, and the things that have changed in the heart of the organization.

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Scouting for Boys, Baden-Powell’s book has sold 150 million copies since 1908. That makes it the fourth bestselling book of all time after The Bible, The Koran, and Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book.

These numbers place it among the top 10 bestselling books in history, surpassing popular novels like Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland.

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Many famous individuals have been a part of the organization throughout its history. Keith Richards, the legendary axeman from the Rolling Stones was one of them and he credits the Scouts with nurturing his music career.

As he said in his autobiography, ‘I got to be patrol leader within six weeks – I just shot to the top. Once I had a bunch of guys together, it doesn’t matter if it was the Scouts or a band, I could see my way clear to pull all their various talents together.’

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Scouts have been everywhere. Neil Armstrong, the first man to ever set foot on the moon, holds another impressive title: he was an Eagle Scout.

His famous words, "The Eagle has landed," weren’t only referring to his spacecraft, but also symbolized his status as a Scout. In 1969, Armstrong achieved another notable milestone by becoming the first Eagle Scout to be featured on a U.S. postage stamp, aptly named, "The Man on the Moon."

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It’s no secret that a huge part of being a Scout involves a healthy dose of respect for nature. And keeping natural areas of America as pristine and untouched as possible for future generations has always been one of the organization’s paramount goals.

Back in the early 1900s, the Boy Scouts of America played a role in promoting conservation, with President Theodore Roosevelt serving as the organization’s honorary president from 1910 to 1915.

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Newspaper publisher William D. Boyce founded the Boy Scouts of America in 1910. If legend is to be believed, Boyce was lost in the dense London fog and a Boy Scout helped guide him to his destination, refusing a tip afterward.

This random act of kindness, which comes naturally to Scouts, inspired Boyce to start a similar organization in his own country. It goes to show how far good deeds can go.

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9/11 was a moment for the whole world to unite and come together and the Scouts were no exception. In the aftermath of the situation, Scouts hailing from New Jersey and New York worked together to gather more than 150,000 water bottles destined for the rescue workers at Ground Zero.

This was not an isolated incident in the history of the Scouts, as there have been many instances throughout its history when different chapters united for common causes all over the world.

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The original Scout law, written by Robert Baden-Powell himself, had only nine points, designed to guide the principles of scouts and to make sure that their actions were grounded by common sense and morality.

However, the Boy Scouts of America added three more points to our Scout Law. Those points act as an extra corollary to the original nine and are, as follows: a Scout is brave, clean, and reverent.

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There are many different merit badges a Scout can obtain depending on their personal abilities. Over the years, new ones have appeared and some others have changed.

Merit badges are an integral part of the scouting experience, encouraging scouts to explore diverse subjects and develop a well-rounded skill set. The original Invention merit badge required a Scout to file for and obtain an actual patent for their invention. That is no small feat for anyone, Scout or not!

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The junior section of the Boy Scouts was announced in 1914, for kids aged 8 to 10. At that time, Baden-Powell asked his friend, author Rudyard Kipling, if they could adopt part and ideas of his 1894 classic, The Jungle Book. And, as history goes, Kipling said yes.

That’s why the Cub Scouts meet in "dens" or "packs", where the den leader is sometimes called "Akela," after the head wolf from the novel. Even some Cub Scout traditions—like the "Grand Howl" and "Council Rock" meetings— clearly reference events in The Jungle Book.

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Back in 1918, one of the Boy Scout war bond salesmen was none other than Dr. Seuss himself, Theodor Seuss Geisel. His grandfather bought $1,000 worth of bonds, catapulting Geisel to one of the top ten Boy Scout bond salesmen spots in his hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts.

During a subsequent award ceremony where former President Theodore Roosevelt presided, honoring their accomplishments, he reportedly demanded—with all his characteristic tenderness—"What’s this little boy doing here?" when faced with Geisel. The incident left Dr. Seuss with a lifelong fear of public appearances.

BECAUSE SOMETIMES MERCI IS NOT ENOUGH

Traveling Abroad? Here’s 10 Foreign Phrases That Might Come In Handy

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Even if the English language functions as an Esperanto of sorts, allowing us to communicate with people from all over the world, it is advisable to learn at least a few words from any country we are visiting. Not only does it ingratiate us with the locals, but it also teaches us about the language and, thus, the culture of the place we are exploring. The following ten phrases and words are useful expressions that will surely arise in conversation multiple times during your trip. Read on and see if you already know any of these!

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Let us start at the beginning here and talk about the first word that should come out of our mouths when speaking to someone for the first time. While the word "hallo" is an accepted greeting in German-speaking countries, there is a more colloquial word: grüezi.

And if you are feeling even more informal, or familiar, you can go with hoi, which is similar to saying "hi."

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The second thing one should say when making a new acquaintance in a German-speaking country is simply, "How are you?" The correct term is Wie geht’s? It expresses a polite interest in the other person and it sets a friendly tone for the ensuing conversation.

If the person you are talking to asks back, you can reply, "Mir geht’s gut," meaning "I am fine."

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Moving southward into more Mediterranean lands, we can find ourselves in Italy, with its musical language and colorful expressions that have common roots with Spanish and French, but not so much with English.

That is why it is advisable to know how to say, "Do you speak English?" in Italian, just in case. The correct way of saying this is Parla Inglese? When your limited Italian is getting you nowhere and both of you know it, this is your bailout phrase.

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Another highly advisable thing to learn when going abroad is how to ask for directions when nature calls. If you are in Italy, the correct way of asking "Where is the bathroom?" is Dov'è il bagno?

It doesn’t get more important than needing to use the bathroom. This is how you ask for a restroom without using gestures.

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Moving on to Spanish-speaking countries, we have to offer a simple yet highly useful phrase that we can use when asking for directions, and not just the bathroom. The correct way of asking "Where is…?" anything is ¿Dónde está…?

You can complete that expression with whichever place you are looking for. For example, ¿Dónde está el restaurante? (Where is the restaurant?), ¿Dónde está el parque? (Where is the park?), etc.

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Being honest about one’s limitations is always good advice, especially when you are having difficulties speaking with someone in a foreign language. Chances are, the person you are speaking to will understand the situation and help you communicate.

Saying No hablo español muy bien means in Spanish, "I don’t speak Spanish very well."

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Another useful expression, this time meant for asking for something, be it a glass of water, a meal at a restaurant, or anything else, is this French version of "I would like," which is Je voudrais.

That’s how you start your order, followed by the food or drink off the menu. These two words can also be used in other situations, such as at a metro station to purchase train tickets from a vendor or anything else "you would like."

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Once you have finished your French meal, you will probably have to pay for the pleasant moment with a few Euros (or Dollars, or Bitcoins, or what have you). At this point, you will have to ask for the check.

The correct way to ask for the bill in French is l’addition, s’il vous plaît, which simply means "check, please."

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We will move on to Portuguese-speaking countries for these last two entries, starting with another universally useful expression: the ever-present "excuse me."

If you’re passing through a crowd and need to politely ask someone to step out of your way, you can say Com licença. A word with a very similar meaning is desculpa, which can be used to attract someone’s attention.

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What better word to finish this article than with a goodbye? Portuguese people have a few ways of doing this, but the most common is the gentle-sounding adeus.

Another popular way of saying goodbye, more informally, is simply, tchau.