16 Facts We Just Learned About The Titanic That Made Us Say 'Really?'
The sinking of the RMS Titanic is one of the defining tragedies of the 20th century. During the ship's maiden voyage, it collided with an iceberg in the early morning hours of April 14, 1912, and more than 1,500 souls were lost. The event has taken on a near legendary aspect, and has been depicted many times in books, plays, and films.
Despite the preponderance of Titanic trivia, there are still a few weird Titanic facts that remain obscure. Other strange Titanic facts encompass the odd coincidences and smaller tragedies hiding within the grander story. On Reddit, people are posting obscure Titanic facts that they recently learned ("Today I learned..."). These are a few of those stories, as shared by the amateur historians.
- 1584 VOTES
One Young Passenger Wasn't Identified Until A DNA Test In 2007
From Redditor u/Sansabina:
TIL a rescue ship at the Titanic sinking pulled a dead infant from the sea who wasn’t able to be identified. The ship’s sailors paid for a graveside monument dedicated to The Unknown Child. In 2007, DNA testing showed the child to be from an English family of six, the Goodwins, who all drowned.
- 2735 VOTES
One Of The Unlikeliest Heroes - And Survivors - Of The Disaster Was A Very Drunk Baker
From Redditor u/semsr:
TIL that during the sinking of the Titanic, a drunken baker helped load women and children into the lifeboats, refused a seat for himself, threw deck chairs overboard for passengers to use as flotation devices, and somehow survived hours swimming in the freezing water until he was rescued at dawn.
- 3472 VOTES
Arthur John Priest Is Known As The 'Unsinkable Stoker' For Surviving Five Doomed Ships, Including 'Titanic'
From Redditor u/Gaeloto:
TIL about Arthur John Priest (1887 - 1937), who was an English stoker in the 1900s - 1910s. He became famous because he survived at least five shipwrecks (including Titanic) and several other ship collisions. He gained the nickname "The Unsinkable Stoker." He [perished] in mainland in 1937.
- 4649 VOTES
The 'Carpathia' Only Heard The Distress Call Because Its Wireless Operator Was Listening After Hours
From Redditor u/WingedBadger:
TIL that the RMS Carpathia only heard the Titanic's distress call because Carpathia's wireless operator, Harold Cottam, was listening to his telegraph while getting into his pajamas, several minutes after his shift had ended. Had he signed off when he was supposed to, there may have been no rescue.
- 5505 VOTES
Loraine Allison Was The Ship's Only First Class Child To Perish
From Redditor u/Szabo84:
TIL Loraine Allison was the only child from first class to [perish] on the Titanic. She had remained with her parents on the ship looking for her baby brother who had, unknown to them, already safely left in a lifeboat with his nanny.
- 6608 VOTES
The First Movie About The 'Titanic' Was Released 29 Days After It Sank
From Redditor u/Haircutchet:
TIL that the first movie about the Titanic came out 29 days after the actual ship sank, starred a real life survivor who wore what she had on the night it sank in the production, and resulted in her suffering a mental breakdown shortly after its completion.