The first Pinewood Derby race was organized by Cubmaster Don Murphy on May 15, 1953, at Pack 280C’s Scout House in Manhattan Beach, Calif. Other packs in the Los Angeles area held races that year, too.
By 1954, officials at the Boy Scouts of America heard about the event and began to spread the word, and _Boys’ Life_ magazine published Pinewood Derby plans in its October 1954 issue. That was the first reference to the Pinewood Derby in any BSA publication.
It wasn’t long before packs across the country made the Pinewood Derby a part of their annual calendar.
Read more about the fascinating history of the Pinewood Derby.