9 rare facts about the Titanic

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

More than a hundred years ago, one of the largest sea tragedies occurred, which claimed the lives of at least 1,500 people. The unsinkable Titanic left the British port of Southampton, but in the waters of the North Atlantic hit an iceberg and wrecked. Based on the disaster, a picture of the same name was filmed, which to this day remains in the top of the best films. In this article we will tell you about the amazing facts associated with the legendary "Titanic".

1. "Futility, or Death of the" Titan ""

In 1898, 14 years before the disaster, the American writer Morgan Robertson wrote a fantastic story. It tells the story of the last voyage of the Titan, which sailed across the Atlantic to set a record. The story also describes the ship's unsinkability, and its characteristics are painfully reminiscent of the Titanic. After the disaster, the work began to be considered a harbinger of the death of a cruise ship.

2. Celebrities who miraculously did not board the ship

The departure of the Titanic was a landmark event, which is why many rich and famous people wanted to take a cruise. However, some of them changed their plans dramatically, which saved their lives. For example, the founder of one of the largest chocolate company Hershey’s Milton Hershey decided at the last moment not to board the ship.

The founder of the financial corporation JP Morgan, John P. Morgan, instead of a trip on the Titanic, preferred to stay on vacation in France. The telegraph inventor Guglielmo Marconi got a ticket for free, but the scientist preferred the ship "Lusitania" (which also sank, but on a different voyage). The American writer Theodore Dreiser was also going to sail on the Titanic, but at the last moment he was negotiated by the publisher and advised the ship to be cheaper.

3. A couple who chose to die together

Isidor Strauss, an American entrepreneur and co-owner of Macy’s department stores, was returning home from Europe with his wife Ida. When the evacuation began, Ida refused to leave her husband. The woman said that they lived together, together and would die. They were last seen together on deck, where Isidore and Ida stood holding hands. After the disaster, the man's body was identified, but the woman was never found.

4. "Accidental" finding of the wreckage of the liner

The US government hired researcher Robert Ballard to search for nuclear submarines that sank in the 60s. The mission was secret and used an underwater robot invented by Ballard. A deal was made with the scientist: he finds the submarines, and the government finances the search for the liner. Ballard coped with the task, and then almost immediately found the wreckage of the Titanic. The discovery of the researcher confirmed the words of the survivors, which no one believed. The ship actually broke in half and went to the bottom.

5. Real photo of the iceberg

Few people know, but there is a real photo of that very iceberg. It was made from another ship that came to the place where the Titanic sank. When the ship hit the glacier, there were traces of red paint on it. By the way, on that fateful day, other liners repeatedly reported the accumulation of glaciers, but the Titanic radio operator ignored the messages and cut off the connection. Disaster struck 40 minutes later.

6. The same violin

During the sinking, the orchestra, led by British violinist Wallace Hartley, continued to play and cheer people up. The musicians sang the hymn "Closer, Lord, to You." Researchers believed the violin was irretrievably lost until a woman discovered it in her attic in 2006. For seven years, scientists have studied the musical instrument and concluded that this is the same Wallace Hartley violin.

7. Liner in cinema

Literally a month after the catastrophe, a film about the Titanic was released under the title "Saved from the Titanic". Dorothy Gibson played the main role in the film. The actress was also on the liner and miraculously survived the sinking of the ship. And the most famous mention in the cinema was the film of the same name by James Cameron.

8. Youngest survivor

Elizabeth Gladys Millvina Dean was only 2.5 months old when the crash occurred. Elizabeth's family was in third class and managed to get into boat # 10. The father put his wife, daughter and son in prison, but he himself could not be saved. In 2009, at 97 years old, Elizabeth died, she was the last surviving passenger of a cruise ship. The woman was cremated and scattered at the Southampton docks.

9. Excursion to the wreckage

Today the ship is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and excursions are conducted to it. To look at the wreckage of the sunken ship, it is enough to book a 10-day tour with the British firm Blue Marble Private. The expedition will cost over one hundred thousand dollars per person.