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.
Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
President Thomas Jefferson
My Great-Grandfather's War: Lt-Gen Thomas Snow & The Somme
The Origins of the Popes
Wars of the Roses: Jack Cade’s Rebellion Explained
The Great Caterpillar Outbreak of 1782
The Knights Templar
The Nazi Massacre at Rumbula
Europe's 1848 Revolutions
Chichén Itzá
Marco Polo
The Legacy of Rome
Rise of the Tudors
Secret Origins of the SAS
Ivan the Terrible
Charlie Chaplin
How Brutish were our Ancestors?
WWII Britain: The Home Guard's Silent Assassins
Chairman Mao
Elizabeth I's War with Ireland
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