Jack BinnsComing events & Blasts from the Past

Coming events!

Virginia, Jack Binns' granddaughter was just interviewed by Scholastic's Storyworks! Will let you know when the story and the video with snippets of the interview become available.

Available NOW on Amazon: Jack Binns to the Rescue—the story of the Florida/Republic rescue and more in Binns’ own words, illustrated and annotated by Virginia, to give you a picture of the times, the technology, the terror, and the triumph.

Blasts from the past as narrated by Virginia

June 25, 2020: JACK BINNS AND THE FIRST AT SEA RESCUE COORDINATED BY WIRELESS

Had a great time visiting with participants in a zoom presentation about Jack Binns, designed to kick off this year's ED FOUHY DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES. a series of summer activities about the use of wireless in sea rescues presented by the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center. Go there to find out more about wireless and its use at sea, and sign up for the Zoom talks!

Marconi and Binns on German TV

In 2019, as part of a series on life saving techniques for German television, Sven Hecker and Robert Cöllen filmed a segment featuring Marconi and Jack Binns at the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center. Was thrilled to be able to participate!

Principessa Elettra Marconi at the Marconi Beach US Park Service Headquarters, June 2018

Was privileged to join Marconi's daughter for lunch during her visit at the site.

"RESCUE AT SEA" FEATURED AT 2017 INTERNATIONAL MARCONI DAY CELEBRATIONS ON CAPE COD,
April 13-22, 2017

The Cape Cod National Seashore was host for a series of events celebrating the development of wireless, from the early days of Marconi's efforts at trans-Atlantic communication to the sinking of the Titanic. A feature of the program was a showing of the film about Jack Binns produced by PBS, Rescue at Sea, at the Salt Pond Visitor Center. I was there to provide commentary and to answer questions, and was thrilled to meet so many people with an interest in ham radio and in the Republic. Don Wilding from Wicked Local in Orleans, Cape Cod, interviewed me: see Shore Lore: A day for CQD Binns. Wonderful day and so grateful to Barbara Dougan of the National Park Service for inviting me, and for Doug Wilding of the Cape Codder for writing it up.

To find out more about Binns-related events at the Cape Cod National Seashore go to Binns-related events.


Image: The Marconi Towers on Cape Cod at the beginning of the 20th century, now destroyed by erosion.

VOICES FROM THE PAST AT DAYTON HAMVENTION 2016!
 May 20th, 2016

John Dilks (K2TQN) gave his multimedia presentation with photos, graphics, and even the VOICES! of wireless pioneers, including Marconi, JACK BINNS, Irving Vermila (Ham #1), Dr. Lee DeForest, Hugo Gernsback, Edwin Armstrong, and so many pioneers with their "firsts!"

BILLION DOLLAR WRECK?

In February/March 2016, The History Channel aired the extraordinary story of Martin Bayerle. He's in this photo with yours truly, with one of the Republic's anchors that he retrieved from the ocean behind us-it's at the spectacular Marine Museum at Fall River, Rhode Island. Martin's quest for the billions in gold coins that may have sunk with the Republic, is laid out in a show called the "Billion Dollar Wreck." There is no doubt that the Republic affected lives for better or worse when it sank. That it continues to do so even to this day is astounding...

TITANIC COMMEMORATIONS ~ 2012

The 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic!




WSKG, my former local public radio station, presented a short interview detailing Jack Binns' role in that disaster on April 13th 2012.

With my daughter Evera Lovelace, I attended the screening of the PBS American Experience documentary about Jack Binns, "Rescue at Sea," at the Cape Cod National Seashore on April 19th at 3pm, Salt Pond Visitor Center, Route 6 and Nauset Road, Eastham. This event was a part of the National Seashore's commemorations surrounding both the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic (April 14th - 15th), and International Marconi Day (April 15th - 21st).

COMMEMORATIONS 2009—the 100th Anniversary!

The week-end of January 23rd 2009 was an extraordinary one for both amateur radio and the Binns family. While more than a thousand people either played a part in the special event stations or contacted them, many more people heard interviews on BBC radio or read about the event in newspapers and on the Internet!




Then the summer of 2009 was filled with events commemorating the first large scale rescue in open sea coordinated by wireless, including museum exhibits, presentations, and publications.

Image: Marconi Beach, Cape Cod, January 23rd, 2009, by Evera