On this day

4 March in history.

5 moments from 1824 to 1979: discovery, creativity and courage, each with a source to read more.

5 moments

Lifeboat (rescue)

1824

A charity to save lives at sea. The organisation now known as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution was founded. Its volunteer crews still head out in all weathers to rescue people around Britain and Ireland.

Wikipedia: Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Photo: Adrian Pingstone ( User:Arpingstone ) / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

More from 4 March

  1. Picture taken in Dalmeny of the Forth Bridge

    1890

    The Forth Bridge opens

    The great red railway bridge across the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh opened. It is now a World Heritage Site and a symbol of Scotland.

    Wikipedia: Forth Bridge

    Photo: MrMasterKeyboard / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

  2. Jeannette Rankin

    1917

    The first woman in Congress

    Jeannette Rankin of Montana took her seat in the US House of Representatives, the first woman elected to Congress.

    Wikipedia: Jeannette Rankin

    Photo: Adam Cuerden / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

  3. Saimaa Ringed Seal ( Pusa saimensis ) in Rantasalmi, Finland

    1955

    Protection for a rare seal

    Finland made it illegal to harm the Saimaa ringed seal, which lives only in one lake system. The small seal is still protected today.

    Wikipedia: Saimaa ringed seal

    Photo: Linda Lötjönen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

  4. Rings of Jupiter

    1979

    Jupiter has rings too

    Pictures from Voyager 1 showed thin, faint rings around Jupiter, only the third planet known to have a ring system.

    Wikipedia: Rings of JupiterWikipedia: Voyager 1

    Photo: NASA/JPL/Cornell University / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Moments chosen for discovery, creativity and courage. Each one links to a source where you can read more; photos are credited to their owners.