The History of the RNLI

The History of the RNLI

Since its foundation in 1824, the volunteers of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution have been braving the most savage of elements at sea to rescue sailors in distress. Their work has saved the lives of an estimated 143,000 people and helped many, many thousands more. Funded entirely by charitable donations and staffed primarily by volunteers it is a much loved national institution in the UK and Ireland.


Today, Dan is joined by Mark Wordsworth who spent over a decade as a volunteer crewmember and now serves on the board of the RNLI council. Mark and Dan explore how the RNLI came to be founded, its history and some of its most notable rescues. They also discuss the organisations' ethos, which was set out by its founder Sir William Hillary, and how that continues to shape its work today.


If you would like to make a donation to the RNLI you can do so here.


If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.


We need your help! If you would like to tell us what you want to hear as part of Dan Snow's History Hit then complete our podcast survey by clicking here. Once completed you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 voucher to spend in the History Hit shop.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Avsnitt(1489)

Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc

Teenage peasant, visionary commander, convicted heretic, national saint - Joan of Arc's life reads like a legend. Today, Dan digs past that legend to understand who Joan really was, and why her story ...

29 Jan 1h 1min

 The Dambusters Raid Explained

The Dambusters Raid Explained

In May 1943, the RAF launched one of the Second World War’s most audacious missions: the Dambusters Raid. Today, we follow the raid as it unfolded, hearing about the remarkable people involved and exa...

26 Jan 44min

The Battle of Bosworth

The Battle of Bosworth

In August 1485, the would-be king Henry Tudor went head-to-head with King Richard III - the final, decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses. Only one of these men would leave the battlefield alive, an...

22 Jan 44min

The Top Assassination Attempts on Hitler

The Top Assassination Attempts on Hitler

What does it take to kill a dictator? In this episode, we explore the most dramatic assassination attempts on Adolf Hitler. From Georg Elser, the lone-wolf carpenter who built a bomb by hand, to the P...

19 Jan 41min

A History of Iran

A History of Iran

How does Iran's history underpin today's unrest? Dan traces more than 2,500 years of Iran's story — from the first Persian empires through conquest, dynasties, and revolution — to understand how power...

15 Jan 1h 10min

U.S. Interventions in Latin America and Beyond

U.S. Interventions in Latin America and Beyond

For over 200 years, American presidents have repeatedly justified intervention as 'protection' - from the Monroe Doctrine of the 1820s, Teddy Roosevelt at the turn of the 20th century, to Richard Nixo...

12 Jan 30min

A history of (American) occupation in Greenland

A history of (American) occupation in Greenland

This isn't the first or even second time the U.S has made moves to procure Greenland in the last 160 years. President Donald Trump has stepped up his rhetoric, now saying that the use of US military i...

8 Jan 35min

The Rise, Fall and Rise of the Taliban

The Rise, Fall and Rise of the Taliban

The Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 shocked the world. But, it was not an abrupt collapse — it was decades in the making. Lyse Doucet has spent her career reporting from the world's war zones...

5 Jan 1h 3min

Populärt inom Historia

motiv
massmordarpodden
historiska-brott
p3-historia
olosta-mord
historiepodden-se
historianu-med-urban-lindstedt
rss-brottsligt
rss-massmordarpodden
rss-seriemordarpodden
konspirationsteorier
nu-blir-det-historia
rss-historien-om
krigshistoriepodden
podme-bio-4
militarhistoriepodden
vetenskapsradion-historia
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
palmemordet
rss-arkiv-stieg