On this day, 4th March in 1824 William Hillary’s vision for a service dedicated to saving lives at sea became a reality. Initially known as the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, its name subsequently changed to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Motivated by the selfless aim to save lives, it has saved some 140,000 lives since its foundation, at a cost of more than 600 lives lost in service.