For the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking, we bring you surprising bits of trivia and Titanic facts you've never heard.
1. A full moon may have caused the fatal iceberg to cross paths with the ship
Scientists
recently arrived at a new theory that the full moon months before could
be to blame for the collision, which killed about 1,500 people.
Quoting
astronomer Donald Olson of Texas State University-San Marcos, National
Geographic's Richard A. Lovett wrote, "That full moon, on January 4,
1912, may have created unusually strong tides that sent a flotilla of
icebergs southward—just in time for Titanic's maiden voyage."
This
wasn't a normal full moon, though: "It was the closest lunar approach,
in fact, since A.D. 796, and Earth won't see its like again until 2257,"
wrote Lovett.
2. Nearly five Titanics could be built with the money James Cameron's Titanic movie has made worldwide
According
to the California ScienCenter, the Titanic would cost about $400
million to build today. James Cameron's Academy Award-winning film
Titanic has earned over $1.84 billion worldwide since its release in
1997—enough to construct about 4.6 complete replicas of the ship. That's
not counting money earned from the 3D re-release of the film in spring
2012.
3. New research says an optical illusion prevented the ship from receiving help
British
historian Tim Maltin believes that the atmosphere on the night of the
sinking created conditions that made it difficult for the crew to spot
icebergs—and for other ships to spot the Titanic.
Smithsonian
magazine reported, "Atmospheric conditions in the area that night were
ripe for super refraction, Maltin found. This extraordinary bending of
light causes miraging, which, he discovered, was recorded by several
ships in the area. He says it also prevented the Titanic’s lookouts from
seeing the iceberg in time and the freighter Californian from
identifying the ocean liner and communicating with it."
4. Researchers completed a map of the wreck site in 2012, using over 100,000 photos taken by underwater robots
The
Associated Press reported in early March that a team of researchers
completed "what's believed to be the first comprehensive map of the
entire 3-by-5-mile Titanic debris field," a milestone that could lead to
more insights as to what happened when the ship sank on April 15, 1912.
"An
expedition team used sonar imaging and more than 100,000 photos taken
from underwater robots to create the map, which shows where hundreds of
objects and pieces of the presumed-unsinkable vessel landed," wrote AP
reporter Clarke Canfield.
Though
the site wasn't fully mapped until now, the Titanic's wreckage was
first discovered in September 1985 by underwater explorer Robert
Ballard.
5. $95,000: The expected auction price for the Titanic's final lunch menu
The
Telegraph reports that the actual menu will likely fetch big bucks when
it hits the auction block. Millionaire Titanic passenger Benjamin
Guggenheim (left), may well have eaten the meal, which included grilled
mutton chops and smoked sardines.
6. More than 5,000 other artifacts will also be up for grabs
Collectors
with deep pockets will be able to bid on everything from silverware to
pieces of the actual boat, reports CNN. The collection of items had been
priced at $189 million previously.
7. Did an 1898 novella anticipate the Titanic disaster?
The
plot of Morgan Robertson's Futility bears an uncanny resemblance to the
events surrounding the sinking of the Titanic, published 14 years
before the voyage.
The
book tells the story of the Titan: "The largest ship ever built, billed
as 'unsinkable' by its British owners and the press, strikes an iceberg
one April and goes down. Due to a lack of lifeboats, more than half the
passengers perish in the North Atlantic," wrote The Portland Press
Herald of the book's plot. Sound familiar?
Futility has since been renamed The Wreck of the Titan, and it's available for free on Google Books.
8. There's an app for that
Those
looking for more of a 21st century experience will find tons of
information in The History Press' "Titanic: Her Story" iPad app. It
includes a photo slideshow, sinking timeline, and more. Other new-tech
ways to follow the voyage: live tweets of the voyage in real time on
Twitter from The History Press @TitanicRealTime:
#firstclass I hope we have sufficient heating in our quarters, it is sure to be cold as we travel across the icy Atlantic waters.
— TitanicVoyage (@TitanicRealTime) March 19, 2012
9. You can take a cruise that echoes the Titanic experience
Leaving
exactly 100 years after the Titanic began its ill-fated voyage, a
memorial cruise will make its way to Halifax, where many Titanic victims
were laid to rest, and later arrive at the spot in the Atlantic where
the ship sank for a day of reflection. No guarantee on spotting an
iceberg.
10. $2 million: How much it will cost to preserve the historic Belfast dock where the Titanic was built
According
to BBC News, over $2 million has been set aside for work on the
Thompson Graving dock in "the largest single investment ever made by the
Department of the Environment in support of an historic monument." A
new building will be constructed to safeguard the area against flooding.
11. It's still one of the biggest local attractions and shows no sign of stopping: “Tragedy plus time equals tourism”
That's
what one Titanic expert and guide told the Associated Press, and the
theory's now being put to the test as a new exhibit about the ship opens
in Belfast.
12. Even today, major ships still get "iced" by ocean bergs
Ships
continue to struggle with icebergs to this day. "Only last year, an
iceberg tore a hole in the hull of a Russian fishing boat cruising
around the Antarctic. The 32-person crew threw cargo overboard to
lighten the ship while waiting nearly two weeks for rescue," wrote
Lauren Everitt for BBC News Magazine.
13. Its appeal keeps growing, even 100 years after the tragedy
As
John Williams of The New York Times' Arts Beat explains, a smorgasbord
of Titanic texts were released for the 100th anniversary of the ship's
sinking. That includes The Titanic for Dummies.
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