The first dramatic film of the Titanic sinking was released just 29 days after the event in 1912. It was written by and stars Dorothy Gibson, an actual survivor. For the film, she wore the exact same clothes she wore during the sinking.
“RMS Titanic” fired 8 emergency flares before sinking…
“RMS Titanic” fired 8 emergency flares before sinking. A ship in the area, the “SS Californian”, saw the flares and that the ship appeared uneven in the water. The crew told the captain, who did not believe the rockets were fired in distress. All of Titanic’s passengers could have been rescued.
In 1915, the steamship Eastland capsized while…
In 1915, the steamship Eastland capsized while still tied to the dock in Chicago. New safety laws which rushed through Congress after the Titanic sinking mandated so much safety gear installed that the ship was top heavy and rolled over, killing 844 people.
R. Norris Williams survived the Titanic sinking…
R. Norris Williams survived the Titanic sinking, but spent a such long time in the icy Atlantic ocean that doctors wanted to amputate his legs. He refused, recovered and went on to win his 1st US Tennis Championship that same year.
While the Titanic only had enough life boats to hold…
While the Titanic only had enough life boats to hold 1/3 of passengers, she was actually carrying more lifeboats than were legally required. That’s because lifeboats were intended to ferry survivors from a sinking ship to a rescuing ship—not keep afloat the whole population.
Benjamin Guggenheim, heir to mining magnate Meyer Guggenheim, dressed…
Benjamin Guggenheim, heir to mining magnate Meyer Guggenheim, dressed in his finest suit, had a glass of brandy and smoked a cigar as the Titanic sank. “Tell [my wife] I played the game out straight to the end. No woman shall be left aboard this ship because Ben Guggenheim was a coward.”
As [his mistress & aid] reluctantly entered Lifeboat No. 9, Guggenheim spoke to the maid in German, saying, “We will soon see each other again! It’s just a repair. Tomorrow the Titanic will go on again.” Realizing that the situation was much more serious than he had implied, as well as realizing he was not going to be rescued, he then returned to his cabin with [his valet] and the two men changed into evening wear. Rose Amelie Icard wrote in a letter, “The billionaire Benjamin Guggenheim after having helped the rescue of women and children got dressed, a rose at his buttonhole, to die.” The two were seen heading into the Grand staircase closing the door behind them. He was heard to remark, “We’ve dressed up in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen.”