The RMS Titanic was the largest ship at the time of its maiden voyage back in 1912 (at 269.1 meters long and 53.3 meters high), and was widely regarded as unsinkable. Unfortunately for the 1,500+ people who died, that wasn’t quite true after it collided with an Iceberg five days after launching. For more facts about the Titanic, read on!
1. Even after being adjusted for inflation, the 1997 movie Titanic cost more than the RMS Titanic.
It cost $7,500,000 to build the RMS Titanic in 1912, and $200,000,000 to make the movie “Titanic” in 1997. Adjusted for inflation (as of 2013) this translates to roughly $176,482,575 and $290,289,096 respectively.
2. There was actually a film made about the Titanic 29 days after it sank. An actress who actually survived the catastrophe played a part in the movie, but was so traumatized by reliving the experience that she mentally broke down and never acted again.
The film was called “Saved by the Titanic” and was a silent motion picture starring the survivor, Dorothy Gibson. Dorothy was aboard the first life boat launched alongside 27 or so other people and was rescued five and a half hours after disembarking.3
. A priest refused to board a life boat twice while the Titanic was sinking, choosing to stay behind to hear confessions and provide absolution to people still on board.
The priest was Father Thomas Byles, a rector at St. Helen’s Roman Catholic Church in Chipping Ongar. His actions meant that he perished among the other 1,500 or so people that fateful night in April 1912.
4. A Japanese man survived the sinking of the Titanic, although was sacked from his job and called a coward for not dying with the other passengers.
His name was Masabumi Hosono, a Japanese civil servant, who was the only Japanese passenger on board the RMS Titanic. He was sadly ostracized by the Japanese public for saving himself and not choosing to go down with the ship.(source)
5. The Titanic’s fourth funnel was fake and was added for aesthetic purposes.
A little like a “dummy” exhaust, the Titanic’s fourth tunnel was added for aesthetic purposes, although was also used by the kitchen for ventilation.
6. One ocean line stewardess survived three ships sinking and made sure to grab her toothbrush while the Britannic was sinking as that’s the first thing she missed after surviving the Titanic.
Her name was Violet Constance Jessop and she survived the sinking of the Olympic, Titanic and Britannic. She actually fractured her skull after she was sucked under and was hit by the keel of the Britannic, but didn’t know until years later after suffering from chronic headaches.
7. After surviving the fire and sinking of a ship in 1871, an emotionally scarred man finally decided to overcome his fears 41 years later on the Titanic, only to die when it sank.
Born in 1840 in Montevideo, Uruguay, Ramon Artagaveytia came from a family steeped in the history of the sea. In fact, his grandfather gave Ramon’s father an oar just prior to his death with the words, “Knowing how to use it, you will never be hungry. Your ancestors have always survived thanks to the sea. This is your destiny. Follow it!”.
8. The character in the Titanic film who drinks from a flask as the ship sinks with Jack and Rose is based on a real person.
That person was Chief Baker Charles Joughin who did just that when the Titanic sank in real life. He attributed surviving to the alcohol which kept his body temperature up.
9. It took 2 hours and 40 minutes for the Titanic to sink after hitting the iceberg.
Even though the Titanic received six warnings of sea ice on the 14th April 1912, she was travelling near her maximum speed and had less time to avoid the fatal iceberg. The iceberg was struck at 23.40 on April 14th and the Titanic was completely under by 2.20 on April 15th.(source)
10. The musicians who continued playing to keep people calm while the Titanic sank actually happened in real life.
Perhaps one of the most emotional parts of the Titanic movie, was the portrayal of the heroic musicians who kept on playing even though chaos was unfolding all about them. This really happened and sadly all of the musicians perished.
11. History would be written a little differently if it wasn’t for a 30 second delay in giving the order to change course after spotting the iceberg.
A recent study in 2011 concluded that the Titanic could have been saved, if the officer in charge hadn’t waited a crucial half minute to change course after being warned of the approaching iceberg.
12. The most expensive first class suites aboard the RMS Titanic would have cost approximately £75,156 in today’s money.
Journeying on board the RMS Titanic wasn’t the most affordable venture. Third class fares started at £7 5s (£626 today) while the most expensive first class suites cost up to £870 (£75,156 today).
13. The famous Iceberg that sank the RMS Titanic began it’s journey around 1000 BCE.
It is said that the iceberg began it’s journey as snowfall in Greenland around 1000 BCE which became compacted after a few months into “firn”, and further compacted after decades to become dense ice. After floating to the coast of the Arctic ocean, lapping tides would have broken off chunks of ice which eventually eroded into icebergs.
14. It took 73 years before the wreckage of the Titanic was found.
15. A replica of the Titanic, the Titanic II is to set sail in 2017 and will imitate the original ship so much so that third class passengers will be “deloused” on arrival.
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