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The sinking of the Titanic was a tragic accident, which some well-known passengers survived and dealt with publicly. Other well-known personalities died.
Famous passengers on the Titanic: an overview
The sinking of the Titanic is still the subject of controversy today and has been the subject of numerous feature films and books. Many famous personalities were on board the passenger ship on its maiden voyage:
- Benjamin Guggenheim: Former owner of the Macy’s department store chain. He did not survive the sinking, but his lover Léontine Aubart did.
- Joseph Bruce Ismay: Former managing director of the White Star Line shipping company. He was jointly responsible for the construction of the Titanic. Joseph Bruce Ismay survived the disaster, but was subjected to reprisals and was never able to rehabilitate his reputation until his death in 1937.
- Margaret Brown: Women’s rights activist. She boarded the Titanic after being informed that her grandson, who lived in the USA, was ill. During the collision, she urged other women to hurry and survived the disaster. She died of a brain tumor in 1932.
- Helen Candee: Journalist.
She boarded the Titanic after receiving a telegram saying that her son had been involved in an accident in the USA. She wrote about her experiences in two books and finally died in 1949 after a short illness. - Isidor Straus: Businessman, politician and partner in Macy’s. After business in the USA stagnated, he and his wife Ida boarded the Titanic. The couple did not survive the disaster. His wife refused to board a lifeboat because her husband had to stay behind.
How the Titanic disaster happened
At the time of its commissioning, the Titanic was the most modern passenger ship and was intended for use in the Atlantic. Like her sister ships Britannic and Olympic, she belonged to the Olympic class. The ships were considered practically unsinkable, so there are numerous myths surrounding the sinking.
- The Titanic sank after colliding with an iceberg, although the exact appearance of the berg is still purely speculative to this day.
- Captain Edward John Smith and his officers received multiple warnings about icebergs by radio. However, these were dismissed as insignificant.
- It was only when the lookout Frederick Fleet saw the iceberg and reported it that they reacted. However, this did not prevent the collision. The iceberg tore several leaks in the hull over a distance of 90 meters.
