While the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts of America are technically different organizations, the Girl Scouts were founded by Juliette Gordon Low a year after she met the founder of the Boy Scouts. She established the Girl Scouts in 1912, and the first meeting was held in Savannah, Georgia.

While the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts never merged as an organization, their founder, Juliette Gordon Low, attempted to merge the Girl Scouts with similar organizations, such as the Camp Fire Girls.

The stated mission of the Girl Scouts is: “Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.”

In the 1940s, there was a program for older girls in the Girl Scouts called the Wing Scouts, which allowed them to gain experience with airplanes. This program ended in the 1970s.

The first recorded instance of Girl Scouts selling cookies occurred in 1917 at a local group in Oklahoma. The first official cookie sales began in the 1930s. Today, cookie sales generate about $800 million a year, making it the largest girl-led business in the world.

Some former Girl Scouts who went on to become important or famous figures include Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Taylor Swift, Mariah Carey, and Venus Williams.

The Boy Scouts are well known for the Eagle Scout rank, and the closest equivalent in the Girl Scouts is the Gold Award.

Scout badges change frequently. Some newer badges include Civic Engagement, Cybersecurity, and Space Science.