More than a century ago in 1912 one of the worst maritime disasters shook the world. It was on this day the 15th of April at precisely 2.20 am The RMS Titanic sank after a collision with an iceberg. With its lights still on and broken in two, the ship rose up above the surface almost perpendicular and slowly dove down into the waters of the North Atlantic. 1500 people died that night either drowned or frozen by the icy waters off Newfoundland. Her manufacturer the white Star Line thought she was a ship that couldn’t sink but the Titanic was doomed.
The ship was discovered in 1985 off the coast of Newfoundland and since then has rekindled human interest in its history. Today the Titanic has inspired several theories and films of course the most famous being James Cameron’s dramatic Oscar winning portrayal “The Titanic”.
1 Several of the Passengers were among the who’s who of society
The ship did have several of the passengers corresponding to the characters of the movie. The wealthiest of passengers was John Jacob Astor IV. There was the owner of Macy’s Isidor Strauss and his wife Ida, and of course the heiress Molly Brown who did much to maintain order and calm while women and children were being loaded into the lifeboats.
There was The White Star line managing director Joseph Bruce Ismay who after helping in loading boats himself stepped into one. As a survivor he was subject to severe criticism. Thomas Andrews the Ships chief designer was reported to be blankly staring at a painting of the ship on the wall during the time it was sinking. Benjamin Guggenheim the son of a wealthy American mining magnate was reported to have dressed into his formals along with his valet after learning of the severity of the situation. He was quoted as saying “We are dressed in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen.” Molly Brown was one of the last to leave.
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