What Is So Interesting About April 15th?
Besides being Tax Day in the United States it was on April 15, 1912 the RMS Titanic sank. This was the ship that was considered unsinkable.
I thought that since I am really interesting in the Titanic, I would share with you some interesting facts and information and keep the story alive.
What is it that has intrigued people for the past 98 years about the Titanic? Was it because she was the biggest ship in the world for her time and was thought to be unsinkable? Was it because she had a passenger list of some of the most rich and powerful people of the day? Or was it because she sank with a shocking loss of life? Even to this day, with technology so far advanced, people still do not know the answers to all of these questions. As said in Robert Ballard’s book, Titanic, Last Great Images: “Dead men tell not tales. Dead ships, however, do.” But unfortunately this ship is not going to tell the whole story.
The RMS (Royal Mail Ship) Titanic was build in 1912 at Harland & Wolff’s shipping yard (which is still around). She was the most luxurious ship of her day. It is even said that the ship was so new, that when the passengers were boarding, some of the paint was still wet. This is because the Titanic’s building schedule was behind. There were some money issues so there was a rush near the end.
The Titanic was a very opulent ship. One amazing architectural feature was the Grand Staircase. From the glass dome to the intricately designed handrails, it was breathtaking just to look at. The first class passengers passed through the Grand Staircase daily. There was a gym for the first class passengers with equipment such as rowing, cycling machines, and weights. There was also a swimming pool and a Turkish bath, dinning rooms, an A La Carte restaurant, and a French style street Café with real ivy growing up the wall. Even the rooms for the 3rd class passengers were impressive for the day.
The Titanic carried many rich and famous passengers. Some of whom we have heard of. Some of them were Colonel John Jacob Astor IV who was the wealthies passenger on the ship. Another famous person was Benjamin Guggenheim. Also on board was Isidor Straus who was the found of Macy’s. These are just some of them.
Then after a couple of days of sailing, they hit an ice berg. The ship tried to avoid it, but it was not quick enough. 2 hours and 40 minutes later, the ship sank.
As the ship was sinking Isidor Straus was offered a seat because of his age but turned it down. His wife refused a seat too. She was heard to sy, “I will not be separated from my husband. As we have lived, so we will die together. “Benjamin Guggenheim realized that he was not going to make in into a lifeboat once the last one was lowered down. He went back to his cabin with his valet and they changed into their best suits. He was heard to say before he was lost, “We are dressed in our best clothes, and are prepared to go down like gentlemen.” First class passenger Dr. W.E Minagan was heard to say to his wife as he stepped back with the other men was, “Be brave. No matter what happens, be brave.” He was one of the estimated 1,500 people lost that tragic evening. What courage they had.
Oceanographer, Dr. Robert Ballard was the lucky man to find the titanic. He spent most of his life looking for things hidden underwater and he decided to search for the Titanic. After some time and perseverance, he found it. When it was found someone said “Look at the time and remember what day it is.” They found the Titanic at 2:00 in the morning on April 15. Only 15 more minutes until the Titanic had sank. Robert Ballard then called 15 minutes of silence to remember the dead. On the same date all those years later!
On the day that Robert Ballard left the wreck site, he saw a white rainbow. This white rainbow was over the exact spot where the Titanic lay. He believed it was spirits saying thank you for finding it, and thank you for not destroying it.
In conclusion, the Titanic is being eroded over time and in the future the Titanic will disintegrate totally. As Dr. Robert Ballard said, “I feel a sense of responsibility. I suppose it’s like discovering any historical or archeological site: it’s not yours, it’s owned by the human race, but one worries about it, one tries to protect it, and one does everything one can for it. The Titanic might well be gone – or at least unrecognizable – in another hundred years or so. The ship may have been out of site, but she was never really out of mind.”
