There is a world of Titanic facts at your disposal.

The Titanic is one of the most

fascinating and enduring stories of all time. What is it which makes Titanic such a subject of
fascination for so many people around the world? Perhaps it is the very nature of the story
itself. The world’s largest ship, on its maiden voyage and carrying some of the world’s richest
people has a freak accident on her maiden voyage with a catastrophic loss of life.

Hundreds of lives were lost amongst the poorer passengers on the ship, many of them
sailing to the new world to find better opportunities for themselves and their families. If the
story of Titanic were produced as a work of fiction, people would have difficulty believing that
such a widespread tragedy could happen. Within that rope of broader story there are threads
of smaller stories which weave together to produce a fascinating tale.

There are stories of heroism, cowardice, loyalty, leadership and tragedy. There are
many reasons why people are drawn to the story of Titanic and want to find out more facts
about how and why she was built, the pioneering engineering, the intricacies of her journey
and the fatal errors which in hindsight seem so basic. Some people will be interested in facts
on how Titanic was built, some will be more concerned with the stories of people who sailed
on her.

Some people are fascinated by the discovery of the wreck and the artefacts which have
been recovered. Whichever your particular interest in the Titanic, we want to put all these
varying pieces of information into manageable categories of Titanic Facts for you and present
the most interesting, the most up to date and in some cases, the most bizarre. Consider this as
your “go to” lesson for Titanic facts, reference, explanation, exploration and trivia.

Welcome to the History of the Titanic

The Titanic's tragic yet inspiring story still captivate vast audiences with its concept of
dramatic irony, love, and tragedy. Those significant events that caused the Titanic to become a
timeless part of American history have inspired millions to continuously seek more
information. As technology develops and more research is conducted, new information
becomes available. The Titanic's preceding events leading up to its unfortunate demise will
hold audience's interest because of the historical nature and entertaining qualities.

Designing the Titanic

The RMS Titanic was one of three ships belonging to the Olympic-class of White Star
Line vessels. In addition to the Titanic, there was the RMS Olympic and the RMS Britannic.
Responding to growing competition, design for the Olympic-class liners began in 1907. The
decision was made to focus on luxury and size rather than speed. Joseph Bruce Ismay,
managing director of White Star Line, wanted to build a ship larger than any that had come
before.

Construction of the Titanic

Finding a location to begin construction of the Titanic ship was an engineering feat
itself. Harland and Wolff, shipbuilders for White Star Line, had substantially revamped an
existing shipyard to accommodate construction of the Olympic-class liners. Construction of the
Titanic began on March 31, 1909.

It took approximately three years to complete construction of the 882 foot long and 92
foot wide vessel. Work on the ship was difficult and dangerous; eight people were killed and
nearly 250 injured. The Titanic was launched May 31, 1911 but was not fully fitted and ready
for service until spring of 1912. Displacing 52,310 tons, the RMS Titanic was the largest
passenger ship in the world.

A Modern Marvel

Inspired by the technological innovations of the industrial revolution, White Star Line
wanted the Titanic to epitomize modern technology, engineering, safety and luxury. It had a
grand staircase. The ship featured electric lights, elevators and heaters. Guests could relax in a
Turkish bath or spend their time playing tennis, swimming or exercising in the on-board gym.

Despite its disastrous sinking, engineers had designed the Titanic ship with safety as a
top priority. The ship featured a double steel hull and 16 separate compartments capable of
being sealed off from one another in the event of an emergency. The Titanic was also capable
of carrying 64 lifeboats. However, in a fateful decision, White Star Line chose only to carry 16.
This, combined with collapsible lifeboats, met the requirements of an outdated law mandating
enough lifeboats for only 75 percent of the ship's passenger capacity.

The Maiden Voyage of the RMS Titanic

On April 10, 1912, the Titanic set out for New York City from Southampton, England.
White Star Line highly publicized the Titanic's maiden voyage. They went so far as to call the
ship “unsinkable.” The promotion campaign attracted many prominent members of British and
American society including nobility and wealthy industrialists. After two stops, one in France
and one Ireland. The Titanic began its transatlantic crossing with 2,216 passengers.

The Night of April 14

 The history of the Titanic was forever altered when the ship struck an iceberg on April
14, 1912. Having received iceberg warnings via wireless telegraph, Captain Edward Smith
altered the ship's course. However, the radio operators were more concerned with relaying
private messages to passengers than passing along updated iceberg warnings to the bridge.

At approximately 11:40 p.m., lookouts spotted an iceberg directly in the path of the
ship. Evasive action was taken in an attempt to avoid the collision. A sharp turn to the port side
was ordered, and the iceberg struck the ship on the right side damaging the hull. Captain Smith
ordered a full stop to assess the damage. Initially, only five compartments were flooded, and
the watertight doors had been closed to prevent additional flooding. However, water was able
to flow over the top of bulkheads and in through normal openings causing two more
compartments to flood. It quickly became obvious the Titanic would sink.

Evacuating the Ship

The first lifeboat was lowered about an hour after the collision. It had a 65 person
capacity; only 19 were aboard. Tragically, many of the lifeboats were launched far under
capacity. This is attributable to several factors. Assured by the still working electricity and
seeming calm, many passengers didn't think the ship was sinking. In addition, many of the
third class passengers became lost or trapped in the ship and didn't make it to the lifeboats.
Due to a women and children first rule, many men did not board lifeboats despite there being
space.

Radio operators broadcasted distress signals, but the RMS Carpathia, the closest ship,
was four hours away. All but two lifeboats were successfully launched. Eventually, the Titanic
split and was completely sunk by 2:20 a.m. Roughly four hours after receiving the distress call,
the Carpathia arrived and began rescue efforts. More than 1,500 people died.

Discovery of the Wreckage

The full history of the Titanic would not be known for decades. The wreckage was
discovered September 1, 1985 through a combined American and French effort. Researchers
learned much of what actually caused the “unsinkable” Titanic's tragic end.

Public interest in the history of Titanic persists to this day. Perhaps the fascination
stems from the arrogance of the ship's designers or from the significance of such an impressive
ship during a cultural and technological transition. Whatever the case, the history of the Titanic
continues to captivate both historians and popular culture a century later.

Passengers

In the initial years after the incident, several survivors became celebrities. One of these
celebrity survivors was the "Unsinkable" Molly Brown. Because the story is so famous,
survivors like Molly Brown were mixed in with fictional characters in films like "Titanic."
Victims of the accident who perished are memorialized in many ways. Those whose bodies
were recovered were brought home and buried when identification was possible. Now, 100
years later, strangers visit these graves in remembrance of the sinking of the RMS Titanic.
The Ship

Nothing has been the focus of more attention in the past few decades regarding the
RMS Titanic as the ship itself. Amazingly, the ship was found at the bottom of the North
Atlantic in September of 1985. Since that time, coveted artifacts have been pulled from the
wreckage, films have been made of the wreckage and its ghostly visage in its grave has become
a pop culture icon.

Pop Culture

The Titanic 100 years anniversary is not just a historic event. It is a pop culture event.
The tragedy was made immensely popular in the film "Titanic." That film will be returning to
theaters in April of 2012 for the anniversary. Another tribute to the pop culture aspect of the
wreck is an auction of artifacts set to take place at Guernsey's Auctioneers & Brokers on April
1, 2012. The sinking of the RMS Titanic will remain in the collective minds of passenger
descendants and those who are aware of the tragedy for a long time to come. However, it is
hard to say if the ship and many of the artifacts will make it another 100 years.

TITANIC MISTAKE

Number of mistakes

There is no question that a number of mistakes contributed to the sinking of the

Titanic. Captain E. J. Smith was sailing his retirement voyage as the Titanic was making her
maiden trip. Smith reportedly did not give orders to slow the ship despite reports of icebergs
in the water, a common practice at the time. Smith also ignored or discounted a total of seven
iceberg warnings from other ships and his own crew. J. Bruce Ismay, the Managing Director of
Titanic’s parent corporation, the White Star Line, was on board the ship. Some people have
speculated that Ismay put pressure on Smith to maintain speed as the White Star Line wanted
to prove it could make a six-day crossing.

Mistakes during the build of the Titanic

Another mistake, or perhaps a deliberate action, occurred during the building process.
Substandard iron was used in the rivets holding the iron plates of the ship. The collision with
the iceberg sheared the rivets and caused many sections of the ship to buckle. Yet another
mistake lay in the height of the watertight compartments, which did not reach as high as they
should have because the increased height would have cut into the living quarters of the first
class compartments. Aside from the actual sinking, the ship carried only enough lifeboats for
about one-third of the passengers and crew, which undoubtedly led to increased loss of life.

Mistakes by other vessels

Not all the mistakes were made by people directly connected with the Titanic. Another
ship, the Californian, had stopped for the night only 19 miles from the doomed ship. When the
Titanic fired distress rockets, the Californian’s captain, Stanley Lord, decided the rockets were
being fired because the Titanic was partying. The Californian’s radio had been turned off, and
she missed the Titanic’s distress call; had the radio been on, the Californian should have been
able to save all the passengers.

Close to a century after the Titanic went down, yet another possible mistake surfaced.
The granddaughter of senior officer Charles Lightoller claimed the man at the wheel of the
Titanic either did not hear an order or responded incorrectly; he turned right instead of left,
putting the ship on a collision course with the iceberg. Louise Patten says her grandfather --
who survived the sinking -- lied about the mistake to prevent lawsuits against his employers
and to protect his job. Patten also says that the chairman of the White Star Line ordered the
ship to continue sailing on its intended course to reach land, in the hope of avoiding negative
publicity, which may have increased the amount of water flowing into the ship. If what Patten
says is true, despite all the other errors, in the end it may have been a simple
misunderstanding that led to a titanic mistake.

When did the Titanic sink?

The RMS Titanic had received numerous warnings about heavy ice in the area and the
need for the Titanic to slow down, all throughout the day by a series of wireless telegrams sent
from other ships. The first warning came from the RMS Caronia at 9:00am. Another came from
the RMS Baltic at 1:42pm reporting large amounts of field ice. This report was said to have
been shown to White Star Line CEO, Bruce Ismay, who was aboard the ship. Unfortunately, the
ship's crew ignored the seriousness of the warnings and the Titanic proceeded traveling at full
speed on Ismay's orders, so they would reach New York ahead of schedule and surprise
everyone. Field ice and even icebergs were not uncommon and were thought to pose very
little danger to the large ocean liner.

The date and time of the sinking of the Titanic has become etched in history. On
Sunday, April 14, 1912 the RMS Titanic was approximately 300 miles from its final destination
of New York City when, at 11:40pm, it struck an iceberg. The iceberg tore six holes into the
side of the ship, approximately ten feet from the ship's bottom. Above the waterline, however,
there was very little evidence of the impact and reports from passengers reveal that many on
the ship felt only a slight bump when the ship hit the iceberg.

How long did it take for the Titanic to sink?

It took nearly three hours from the time of the initial collision at 11:40 pm to finally
sink beneath the waves at 2:20am on the morning of the 15th. The lower decks of the Titanic
were separated into compartments by bulkheads, which were designed to seal off rising flood
waters. Though the bulkheads extended past the water line, they were not sealed at the top.
The RMS Titanic was designed to float with a couple of the compartments flooded, however,
five compartments had become flooded, which caused the bulkheads to become completely
submerged beneath the water. Once this happened, there was no saving the ship. The Titanic
would sink.

The final three hours before the ship went down were filled with great panic and the
fact that there were not enough life rafts to carry the passengers to safety was a major
concern. As there were only 16 lifeboats, the now old-fashioned policy of "women and
children first" was put into effect. Though this was so, some men were allowed on the life rafts
early in the evacuation proceedings and Ismay made the controversial decision to save his own
life by climbing aboard one of the boats, becoming one of the few precious survivors of the
Titanic. Even if all 20 boats aboard the ship were filled to capacity, only half of the people
aboard the Titanic would have been saved. The Titanic snapped in half at 2:18am and, with the
flooded bow weighing her down, fully sank only two minutes later. Those without life rafts
froze to death or drowned in the frigid waters of the Atlantic.

Rescuing the Survivors

The Carpathia arrived an hour and a half after the Titanic sinking. Fortunately, it wasn't
filled to capacity and was able to rescue the remaining survivors from the lifeboats. It rescued
705 passengers that day.

Changes in safety practices after the sinking of the rms titanic

After the Titanic sunk, there were changes made to the construction of ships. Safety
regulations were also put into place so that inadequate lifeboats would never be a problem
again. These safety rules and regulations are still used today.

The Titanic sinking has since been the topic of endless books, films, articles, and
scholarly papers, and interest in the awful tragedy shows no signs of fading. The story of the
Titanic will forever be the cautionary tale that no matter what advancements are made in
technology, we remain forever vulnerable to the laws of nature.

There are many stories around the TITANIC, some are based on facts while others are
just legends.Your task here is to get relaxed and watch the following videos with sound. You
may watch these videos as many times as you need.These are the questions your teacher will
use for the trivia contest. Try to find the answers.

VIDEO #1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-5cwSCb8Xw

The Titanic & the Battle for the High Seas: Cunard v. White Star Line

Duration: (4:14)
User: titanicstories - Added: 3/29/11

Now, if necessary please listen and watch the video again. Then answer the following
questions:

01. How did the Europeans travel during the second half of the 19th century?

02. How many Europeans left their homes in search of a better life?

03. Which where the main two companies that traveled between New York and Great Britain?
04. What is the IMMC?

05. What where the big four (04)?

06. When did Titanic depart from New York?

07. What is a maiden voyage?

08. How many people were in the Titanic when it sank?

09. How many people were saved?

10. What ended the battle of the High Seas?

VIDEO # 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-vmwnNvEeQ

The Oh So Famous Titanic Survivor Molly Brown-

Molly Brown Facts & Fiction

Duration: (4:59)
User: titanicstories - Added: 1/4/12

Now, if necessary please listen and watch the video again. Then answer the following
questions:

01. When was Molly brown born?

02. Who were Molly’s parents?

03. Did Molly really exist?

04. What was Molly’s real name?

05. Who did Molly marry?

06. What did Molly do in 1909?

07. What happened to Molly when the Titanic crashed? What was she doing?

08. How did she survive the sinking?

09. What did she do after the tragedy?

10. When did Molly die?

VIDEO # 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQG955RpMjM

Thomas Andrews - Titanic's Designer- ´

The Man who Designed the Titanic

Duration: (3:51)
User: titanicstories - Added: 6/9/11

Now, if necessary please listen and watch the video again. Then answer the following 10
Titanic legend questions:

01. Who was Thomas Andrews?

02. Why is he considered a hero?

03. Who was his great grandfather?

04. What was his family famous for?

05. Who did Thomas Andres follow professionally?

06. Where and who taught him ship design?

07. Who did he marry and where did they live?

08. What was his biggest dream?

09. When and where was Titanic launched?

10. When and who asked for his biography to be written?

VIDEO # 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTg0hyEdzTY

Titanic Passengers The Millionaires

Duration: (3:52)
User: eHkd1xa9ny6O1HR1JWjpeg - Added: 6/24/12

Now, if necessary please listen and watch the video again. Then answer the following
questions:

01. How many millionaires were there in 1861 in the United States?

02. And, how many were there by 1900?

03. What was the Titanic?

04. Mr. & Mrs. Astor where the equivalent to what nowadays?

05. Who were the rich, powerful and famous that boarded the Titanic in 1912?

06. How much worth was their fortune together?

07. When did Titanic leave New York?

08. Why did John Jacob Astor and others not believe they were in real danger after the
impact?

09. How did J.J. Astor die?

10. Why did the tragedy of the Titanic become a time for reflection to the people,
technological world and life in general? Explain.

Challenge your knowledge with these 40 interesting facts about the Titanic. (Reading)

1. When the rms Titanic struck the iceberg, she remained afloat for 2,5 hours.

2. The Titanic sister ship Britannic had originally been designed to be 1,000 feet, but when the
Titanic sank her dimensions were altered.

3. There were only twenty lifeboats on the Titanic. The first lifeboats that departed were less
than half full.

4. Many passengers were so convinced that the Titanic was “unsinkable,” that they ignored the
news that she had struck an iceberg and continued dining and dancing.

5. The price of a single first class ticket for the maiden voyage on the Titanic was $4,700, the
equivalent of about $50,000 today.

6. There were many dogs on the ship, but only two survived, a Pomeranian and a Pekingese,
which were both taken to safety on lifeboats by their owners.

7. A man named Daniel Buckley dressed as a woman, to be allowed onto one of the lifeboats
ahead of the other men.

8. One of the interesting Titanic facts indicates that a man called Charles Joughin was actually
able to survive the 31 degree temperature of the Atlantic ocean waters because he had been
drinking heavily before the ship sank.

9. Millvina Dean, the last living survivor of the sinking of the Titanic, passed away on May 31,
2009. Millvina Dean was nine weeks old when the Titanic went down.

10. One of the ironic facts about the Titanic is that it contained a heated swimming pool, the
first of its kind for a luxury ocean liner.

11. It is said that the ship was still so brand new when it set sail on April 10, 1912, that were
still spots where the paint had not yet dried.

12. There are reports that the crew on the ship received information about icebergs in the
area, but they continued to push ahead at full speed in spite of the possible danger.

13. More than 3,000 artifacts have been recovered from the wreck.
14. Several survivors reported that at least one gun was fired, as panic to enter the remaining
lifeboats increased.

15. Construction of Titanic began on 31 March 1909, when her keel was laid.

16. Titanic and her sister ships were commissioned by White Star but built by Harland and
Wolff.

17. Titanic’s yard number was 401. She was built on Slipway No 3 under the Arrol Gantry.

18. All the steel used in Titanic’s hull had to be imported.

19. Titanic was fully framed by April 1910.

20. In 1912, skilled shipyard workers who built Titanic earned £2 per week. Unskilled workers
earned £1 or less per week.

21. Seventeen men died during the construction of Olympic and Titanic including a father and
son.

22. Heavier items such as the funnels were lifted on board Titanic using a crane capable of
lifting 200 tons to a height of nearly 150 feet.

23. The cost to build Titanic in 1912 was $7.5million. The cost today is $400million.

24. The dry dock could hold 21 million gallons of water and was controlled by steam pumps.

25. Titanic was launched on 31 May 1911.

26. It was announced in the London Times that the Titanic Maiden Voyage would be the 10
April 1912.

27. Over one hundred thousand people watched the launch, some paying a small admission
charge which was donated to Belfast hospitals.

28. Titanic was 882ft 9in in length, 92 ft in width, 175 ft in height and it weighed 46,328 tons.

29. RMS stands for Royal Mail Steamer.

30. Titanic was fitted with enough lifeboats to meet Board of Trade regulations. Unfortunately,
these regulations had not been updated as ships became larger.

31. The chief naval architect on Titanic was Thomas Andrews Junior, who succeeded Alexander
Carlisle in 1910.

32. Between November 1911and April 1912, 20 other boats had sunk off the shores of
Newfoundland.

33. On 13 April, Captain Smith received a message from the Baltic warning of large amounts of
icebergs.

34. An iceberg was reported 'dead ahead' at 11.40pm on the 14 April 1912.
35. The Titanic sank at 2.20am on Monday 15 April – 2 hours and 40mins after hitting the
iceberg.

36. There were over 250 passenger telegrams sent and received during the voyage.

37. Many of the lifeboats were launched less than half full.

38. The Carpathia came to the rescue of the Titanic passengers in lifeboats. It was too late to
save those left on the ship.

39. On 18 April the Carpathia arrived in New York and the Titanic survivors disembarked.

40. There were 2,228 people on board. 1,343 were passengers and 885 were crew members.

Now listen to these top 10 Titanic Lengend and Myths

and asnwer the questions below. (Video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_Mtb3Fw4EM

Top 10 Titanic Legends & Myths

Duration: (3:54)
User: titanicstories - Added: 5/16/11

Now, if necessary please listen and watch the

video again. Then answer the following 10
Titanic legend questions:
1. Did Joseph Bruce Ismay ask the captain to go
faster to break the transatlantic record? Explain.
2. Did the band play until the last minute while the
Titanic sank? Explain.
3. Is it fact or fiction that the SS Californian and the
Ship Samson stayed by and did nothing to safe the
Titanic? Explain.
4. Did poor and rich people survive in the same
percentage? Explain.
5. Did men escape in lifeboats dressed as women?
Explain.
6. Is it fact or fiction that a man was buried in the
Titanic during its construction?
7. Is Captain Smith considered a hero? Explain.
8. Why is the hull number of the Titatic considered a
legend?
9. Is it fact or fiction that there is an enormous
amount of gold still in the Titanic?
10. Did a man survive the cold water of the Atlantic?
Explain.
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