Since Toastmasters began, more than a million individuals have benefited from the communication and leadership programs of the organization.  Toastmasters continues to grow because it is helping people help themselves and apply their skills to help others.  

The first club was formed in October 1924, when a group of men assembled by founder Dr. Ralph C. Smedley met in the basement of the Santa Ana, California, YMCA to form a club "to afford practice and training in the art of public speaking and presiding over meetings, and to promote sociability and good fellowship among its members."  The group took the name Toastmasters.  

A year later a second club was started in Anaheim California, followed by a third in Los 
Angles. By 1930, it was apparent that a federation was necessary to co-ordinate activities of the clubs and to provide standard methods. The federation adopted the name of Toastmasters International and its first international president was J. Clark Chamberlain of Anaheim, California.  

In 1932, the organization became a non-profit corporation under the laws of the state of 
California. Growth was slow during the early years, but the number of clubs increased steadily.  The first formal communication program, Basic Training was introduced in 1942 and Speechcraft, a streamlined course in public speaking, followed a few years later. As the years passed, the communication and the leadership program has been expanded and updated several times to keep it in line with current member requirements.  

Membership in Toastmasters International increased rapidly after the end of World War II, and by 1946 the number of Toastmaster clubs had approached 1,500. Continued growth has resulted in over 3000 clubs throughout the world at the present time.  

Gavel clubs were formed in 1958 to accommodate groups wanting Toastmasters training but not qualified for Toastmaster membership. These clubs provide communication and leadership training in correctional institutions, hospitals, mental institutions and schools. In 1966 the Youth Leadership Program, for young people in junior and senior high school, was added to the list of established community programs being presented by Toastmasters.  

World Headquarters offices were moved to a new building in Santa Ana, California, in 1962. The building was designed for Toastmasters International, and a special building fund assessment which was voted by the members enabled the corporation to pay off the mortgage in 1967, several years ahead of the schedule.  

In 1973, Toastmasters club membership was opened to women, enabling them to also benefit from self-development in communication and leadership. In the same year, a comprehensive listening program was introduced to further help members develop their communication skills. The following year saw a celebration of the organization's first fifty years and the promise of an even more successful second half-century.  

As Toastmasters International has expanded throughout the world, the guiding purpose of the organization has remained unchanged. As action people seek communication and leadership development through better listening, thinking and speaking, they are turning to the Communication and Leadership Program of Toastmasters International with confidence.