In the tempestuous waters of the 18th century, a revolutionary idea emerged from the depths of despair and necessity: the lifeboat. Born from the genius of Lionel Lukin in 1785, the invention redefined maritime rescue. Amidst the roaring seas, innovations flourished and a new institution was set up. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) which has been saving lives for 200 years, is funded entirely by donations.
Hayley Whiting, Heritage Archive and Research Manager for the RNLI joins Dan to tell the tales of dramatic rescues past, including Grace Darling who braved heavy seas and treacherous winds to rescue the passengers of a steamship that suffered a catastrophic engine failure and wrecked off the Northumberland coast of England in 1838.
You can find out more and donate at www.rnli.org/200
Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.
Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/
We'd love to hear from you- what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.
You can take part in our listener survey here.
The Origins of Ancient Egypt
Who are the Houthis?
The City of Alexandria
The Real King Arthur
WWII: The Allied Invasion of Italy
Prohibition
The 7 Wonders of the Ancient World
First Polynesians
Masters of the Air: WWII's Bloody 100th Bombers
The Vandals
One Life: The 'British Schindler' Nicky Winton & The Kindertransport
The Taj Mahal
The Life and Death of Vladimir Lenin
What if Hitler Had Invaded Britain?
The Battle of Little Bighorn
Lawrence of Arabia
Mike Sadler: The Last SAS Soldier
Japan's Tokugawa Shogunate
The Plague of Athens
The WW2 Witch Trial of Hellish Nell
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
History Extra podcast
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk
Key Battles of American History
Gone Medieval