The International Committee for Histochemistry and Cytochemistry was founded in 1960 in Paris, France and the Draft of Statutes was approved in Frankfurt, Germany in 1964. A decision to change its name to the International Federation of Societies for Histochemistry and Cytochemistry (IFSHC) was taken in 1976 and the new statutes and name were incorporated at the Brighton Congress, UK in 1980.
The first President was Torbjorn Caspersson (1964-1968), with Theodor H. Schiebler serving as the first Secretary General.
The first Congress of the International Federation of Societies for Histochemistry and Cytochemistry was held in in 1960 in Paris, France, and was organized by J. Verne and R. Wegman. To date there have been 14 International Congresses.
The Young Histochemist Awards were established in 1984. The David Glick Lectureship was created in 1982 by an anonymous donation. The Pieter van Duijn Lectureship was established in 1996. The title of Honorary Associate/Fellow was created in 1980 and entered the By-Laws of IFSHC in 1984.
Presidents and General Secretaries of IFSHC
| Year | President | Secretary General |
| 1964-1968 | Torbjorn Caspersson | Theodore H. Schiebler |
| 1968-1972 | Torbjorn Caspersson | Theodore H. Schiebler |
| 1972-1976 | David Glick | Pieter van Duijn |
| 1976-1980 | Pieter van Duijn | Olavi Eranko |
| 1980-1984 | Olavi Eranko | Kazuo Ogawa |
| 1984-1988 | Kazuo Ogawa | John R. Garrett |
| 1988-1992 | John R. Garrett | Mels van der Ploeg |
| 1992-1996 | Mels van der Ploeg | H. Dariush Fahimi |
| 1996-2000 | Paul Nakane | Denis Baskin |
| 2000-2004 | C. J. F. (Ron) van Noorden | Denis Baskin |
| 2004-2008 | Denis Baskin | Robert. Y. Osamura |
| 2008-2012 | Robert. Y. Osamura | Serap Arbak |
| 2012-2016 | Serap Arbak | Zbigniew Kmiec |
| 2016-2020 | Serap Arbak | Zbigniew Kmiec |
| 2020-2022 | Hinke Mulhaupt | Zbigniew Kmiec |
| 2022-now | Pavel Hozák | Toyoshi Fujimoto |
International Congresses of IFSHC
International Congresses of Histochemistry and Cytochemisty (ICHC) have been held:
| Year | Congress Location |
| 1960 | Paris, France |
| 1964 | Frankfurt, Germany |
| 1968 | New York, USA |
| 1972 | Kyoto, Japan |
| 1976 | Bucharest, Romania |
| 1980 | Brighton, UK |
| 1984 | Helsinki, Finland |
| 1988 | Washington DC, USA |
| 1992 | Maastricht, The Netherlands |
| 1996 | Kyoto, Japan |
| 2000 | York, UK |
| 2004 | San Diego, USA |
| 2008 | Gdansk, Poland |
| 2012 | Kyoto, Japan |
| 2017 | Antalya, Turkey |
| 2022 | Prague, Czech Republic |
| 2025 | Rimini, Italy |
Archives
The archives of IFSHC are deposited with the Wellcome Foundation, London, UK