The Titanic fascinates the world with its tragic story. However, many myths still surround the "unsinkable" ship. Furthermore, new discoveries continue to reveal secrets about that fateful night. Consequently, the real history is often stranger than fiction. Explore these fascinating details about the famous ocean liner.
Titanic
The movie Titanic cost more to make than the actual ship. Specifically, James Cameron spent $200 million on his film. In contrast, the ship itself cost only $7.5 million in 1912.
A baker survived the freezing water because he was drunk. Charles Joughin drank massive amounts of whiskey before the ship went down. Remarkably, the alcohol kept his internal organs warm for hours in the ocean.
Three dogs survived the disaster. Owners carried two Pomeranians and one Pekingese onto the lifeboats. Fortunately, their small size allowed them to sneak on board without taking a human seat.
The fourth funnel was completely fake. Builders added it simply to make the ship look more powerful and symmetrical. Therefore, it served only as a ventilator for the kitchen and smoking room.
Lookouts had no binoculars to spot the iceberg. Tragically, the officer with the key to the binocular cabinet left the ship before it sailed. Consequently, the crew had to rely on their naked eyes in the dark.
A novel predicted the disaster 14 years earlier. Morgan Robertson wrote a book called Futility about a ship named the Titan. Strangely, it hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic and lacked enough lifeboats.
Captain Smith cancelled a lifeboat drill on the day of the sinking. He planned to hold the safety practice on Sunday morning. However, he called it off at the last minute for unknown reasons.
The musicians really did play until the end. Witnesses confirmed the band played music to keep passengers calm. bravely, they continued their performance even as the water washed over their feet.
An actress starred in a movie about the sinking 29 days later. Dorothy Gibson survived the tragedy and immediately filmed Saved from the Titanic. Eerily, she wore the exact same clothes she wore during the actual disaster.
The discovery of the wreck was a cover for a secret mission. The US Navy hired Robert Ballard to find two lost nuclear submarines. Conveniently, he used the remaining time to search for and find the Titanic.
An optical illusion likely hid the iceberg. Cold air bent the light on the horizon that night. Thus, this “cold mirage” camouflaged the ice until it was too late to turn.
Japan shamed their only survivor when he returned home. Masabumi Hosono escaped on a lifeboat to save himself. Sadly, his countrymen called him a coward for not going down with the ship.
The chocolate king Milton Hershey almost sailed on the voyage. He paid a deposit for a VIP suite. However, business troubles forced him to cancel his ticket just days before departure.
“Unsinkable” Molly Brown rowed a lifeboat to safety. Margaret Brown took control of Lifeboat No. 6. Fiercely, she threatened to throw a crew member overboard if he did not go back for survivors.
Finally, the youngest Titanic passenger lived to be the last survivor. Millvina Dean was only two months old during the sinking. She eventually passed away in 2009 at the age of 97.
