In 1964, an Irish businessman named Ronan O’Rahilly had a problem: the song he was producing wasn’t being played by any radio station in the United Kingdom. The BBC held a monopoly and controlled what could be heard on the airwaves. O’Rahilly’s solution? He bought a ship, anchored it in the North Sea outside British territorial waters, and began broadcasting rock and roll nonstop.

Radio Caroline became the most famous pirate radio station in history. It played The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and everything the BBC refused to air. Millions of young British listeners tuned in secretly, turning the volume up when their parents were out of the house.

The British government responded by changing the law. In 1967, the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act 1967 made offshore radio broadcasting illegal. Most pirate stations shut down. Radio Caroline continued.

Its equipment was confiscated. One of its ships sank during a storm in 1980. It was rebuilt, returned to broadcasting, and survived in different forms into the present day.

One man, one ship, and one antenna changed the way an entire country listened to music.