Where did the rule of loading women and children first into the lifeboats in an emergency come from? It is actually more of a guideline than a rule as it is not explicitly called out in admiralty law. It all dates from the sinking of HM Troopship Birkenhead in 1852, off the aptly named Danger Point, near Gansbaai, South Africa. A short video explanation from the “History Guy.”

The Birkenhead Disaster