​Rotary International

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Rotary is an international service organisation. Its main objective is service — in the community, in the workplace, and around the globe. The 1.2 million Rotarians who make up more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in nearly every country in the world share a dedication to the ideal of its motto - "Service Above Self".

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Clubs of Rotary are open to people of all cultures and ethnicities and are not affiliated with any political or religious organisations.

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Rotary was established on the 23rd of February, 1905. A Chicago lawyer, Paul P. Harris, called three friends to a meeting. What he had in mind was a club that would kindle fellowship among members of the business community. It was an idea that grew from his desire to find within the large city the kind of friendly spirit that he knew in the villages where he had grown up. The four businessmen didn't decide then and there to call themselves a Rotary club, but their get-together was, in fact, the first meeting of the world's first Rotary club.
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As they continued to meet, adding others to the group, they rotated their meetings among the members' places of business, hence the name. Soon after the club name was agreed upon, one of the new members suggested a wagon wheel design as the club emblem. It was the precursor of the familiar cogwheel emblem now worn by Rotarians around the world.

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By the end of 1905, the club had 30 members. The second Rotary club was formed in 1908 half a continent away from Chicago in San Francisco, California. By 1921 the organization was represented on every continent, and the name Rotary International was adopted in 1922​.

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Reference: http://www.rotary.org/en/AboutUs/RotaryInternational/Pages/ridefault.aspx​