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Robert Baden-Powell was a colonel in the British Army during the second Boer War in 1899. When he and his troops found themselves surrounded—and vastly outnumbered—by the Dutch colonists, Baden-Powell enlisted a local cadet corps, 12- to 15-year-olds who wore khaki uniforms and wide-brimmed hats (sound familiar?) to help out. The boys relayed messages and acted as guards and literal scouts, leaving Baden-Powell's adult troops free to fight.

In 1908, Baden-Powell published Scouting for Boys, which focused on skills of the outdoors; Boy Scout troops began popping up across the U.K. The United States' version, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), was formally established on February 8, 1910.

