Origins of the life jacket can be traced back to simple blocks of wood or cork used by Norwegian seamen. The modern life jacket is generally credited to one Captain Ward, a Royal National Lifeboat Institution inspector in the United Kingdom, who in 1854 created a cork vest to be worn by lifeboat crews for both weather protection and extra buoyancy.

- What is a buoyancy aid and how does it work?
- Different types of buoyancy aid.
- What does the N number mean?
- How long does a buoyancy aid last?