Its founders were Erich J. Schrader, Elwin L. Vinal, William M. Lewis, and Isaac B. Hanks, who were all mining engineering students.

The constitution provided for the establishment of additional chapters at other leading engineering schools, and the fraternity soon began to expand nationally.

Hanks spoke of the fraternity to his friend, Robert Downing, a member of the Rhombohedron Club at Michigan College of Mines.

That convention designated The Gear of Theta Tau as the national fraternity's magazine and appointed Jack E. Haynes, A '08, as its first editor-in-chief.

A period of very conservative extension began during the thirties with charters generally being granted only to petitioning long-established locals.

[2][1] Donald D. Curtis, who a few months after his initiation into the fraternity had been appointed Editor in 1926, added to his years of continuous service as a national officer and began his term as Grand Regent in 1950.

Another longtime officer, Jamison Vawter, Z '16, was elected Grand Regent for the term concluding Theta Tau's first half-century.

Norman B. Ames succeed Schrader as Grand Scribe but resigned to accept a Fulbright Lectureship in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

[2][1] At its Founders' Golden Anniversary Convention in 1954, Theta Tau established the position of Counselor which only Schrader could hold.

At the 1958 Convention, Charles W. Britzius, A '33, was elected Grand Regent, the restriction of membership to those who were white was removed, and the fraternity appropriated funds to support extension efforts.

Robert E. Pope, Z '52, was appointed Grand Scribe in April 1956 to succeed Ames, was repeatedly elected to that office for 38 years, and was first employed by the fraternity as the traveling secretary in October 1959.

[2] The convention in 1964 adopted the colony program as the standard route which a local fraternity would follow in becoming a Theta Tau chapter.

Now generally issued monthly during the school year, it provides timely news and reminders to officers of the national fraternity, chapters, and alumni organizations.

Regional conferences were replaced by a special convention in 1981, establishing the pattern of holding national meetings annually in August rather than biennially in the week after Christmas.

The Theta Tau Alumni Hall of Fame was established in 1986 to honor members who distinguish themselves through the excellence of their contributions to their professions and/or to the fraternity.

This extension effort was sparked by Jerome R. Palardy, EB '90, then a student member of the executive council in the Detroit area.

The Rube Goldberg Machine Contest originated at Purdue University in 1949 as a competition between the Phi chapter of Theta Tau and Triangle; it was held annually until 1956.

At the direction of the executive council, the central office staff assumed responsibility for the regular publication of the magazine beginning with the spring 1994 issue.

Michael T. Abraham returned as a permanent staff member with the title of assistant executive director in 1992 and was elected Grand Scribe in 1994.

These changes reflected many practices already in place and allowed the executive council to focus on its responsibilities as the fraternity's board of directors.

In 2000, past Grand Regent Haas presided at the installation of the Kappa Gamma chapter at the Virginia Commonwealth University.

As the fraternity reached its centennial in 2004, Theta Tau had initiated over 30,000 members and had more active student chapters than at any time in its history.

The roughly 1,500-square-foot (140 m2) office condo is located at the corner of 11th and San Jacinto, within blocks of the capitol and university in downtown Austin, Texas.

In the spring of 2010, Grand Marshal Brandon Satterwhite led a group of students and alumni on the fraternity's first national service project with the Habitat for Humanity chapter in Bonnell, The primary symbols of Theta Tau are the Hammer and Tongs, and the gear wheel.

Made of brass and painted the historic dark red found in the official crest, this bolt has survived almost unscathed over the years.

[2][1] The first badge was a gold skull with the letters Θ and Τ on its forehead and a crossed hammer and tongs beneath, but this was replaced in 1911.

The fraternity's open motto is "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;..." – Ecclesiastes 9:10 Raymond J. Sullivan Nu Beta In December 2013, the Michigan Technological University chapter of Theta Tau was suspended for violations of "alcohol, endangerment, community order, disruptive behavior, and hazing provisions."

[16] In April 2018, the Syracuse University chapter of Theta Tau was expelled after video surfaced of members using language that was "extremely racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist and hostile to people with disabilities.

"[17] In April 2024, The Cornell University chapter of Theta Tau was suspended for alleged drug and alcohol violations and hazing.

Despite a cease and desist order, the chapter continued its activities until Theta Tau Central Office issued a suspension.