Who Was Robert, And Why Do We Still Follow His Rules, Anyway?

"His search led him back to the Middle Ages and the origins of English parliamentary procedure. More modern versions by Thomas Jefferson and Luther Cushing influenced him. After experimenting with and modifying meeting rules, he published what we now know as Robert’s Rules of Order. His intention nearly 130 years ago was a 16-page pamphlet. The 2000 Revised Version of the book now has 643 pages! When Judy read Chapter One she discovered that these rules were recommend for “deliberative assemblies” or larger groups of over a dozen members." ~ from the article