9. British Newspapers Initially Reported “No Lives Lost”
Us, Brits, are known for always trying to put a brave face on things, but in this case, the UK was just grossly misinformed about the true nature of the Titanic disaster. After the ship had hit the iceberg, those on land weren’t fully aware of the scale of the disaster, and a false report put out by the ship’s White Star Line company led the public to believe that the “unsinkable” ship had lived up to its name and survived the iceberg collision.
Because of this report made in error, the British newspaper, the London Daily Mail, wasted no time in reporting that “No Lives Were Lost” on the front of their April 15th edition. Horrifyingly, though, the truth soon came out, and the British and American press were waking up to the news that not only did the great “unsinkable” ship at the bottom of the Atlantic sink but that over 1,000 people–many of whom will have been their loved ones–were dead or presumed dead.
10. A Novel Predicted The Disaster 14 Years Before It Happened
You sometimes hear about people who predicted a tragedy years before it happened in some way, but the eerie similarities to what happened on April 14th, 1912 and the events of a book written in 1898 are way too close for comfort. 14 years before the Titanic sank on her maiden voyage after hitting an iceberg, an American author named Morgan Robertson wrote a novel called ‘Wreck Of The Titan’ (right out the gate, the names are almost identical).
A freakier coincidence than simply sharing similar names is the fact that Robertson’s fictional ship suffered exactly the same fate as Titanic would go on to. The novel tells the tale of a British-made ship called Titan which hits an iceberg on its maiden voyage, causing it to sink and bringing all passengers and crew members down with it. Apart from the fact that Titanic had survivors and the book had none is the only detail that sets the two events apart. Creepy as hell.
11. A Lifeboat Drill Was Cancelled On The Day The Ship Sank
One of the most haunting revelations on the morning of the sinking is the fact that a lifeboat training drill–which could have very well saved hundreds of more lives later that night–was canceled at the last minute. The ship’s Captain, Edward J. Smith, canceled what could have been invaluable lifeboat training for the crew and never rescheduled or carried out another drill for the four days that they were out at sea.
Titanic was seen as the grandest and most luxurious ship in the world, and many months of preparation went into her interior designs and finishing touches. Because of this, the crew on the Titanic apparently had very little time to prepare for the actual voyage itself. When the lifeboats were dropped overboard on the night she sank, this was the first time the crew had ever manned them before. If it weren’t for this blasé attitude to safety, many more lives could have been spared.
12. The String Quartet Really Did Carry On Playing While She Sank
Remember the group of musicians solemnly playing while the ship was going under in the movie? This is completely true. James Cameron might have used artistic license here and there to keep audiences hooked for near to 3 and half hours, but he kept many of the important details in, such as this one. While the passengers and crew frantically ran up and down the ship looking for loved ones and tried to make their escape in the lifeboats, the ship’s string quartet played on to lift spirits and distract from the doom that was facing them all.
The bandmaster, Wallace Hartley, and his fellow musicians were not employed by the ship’s company, White Star Line, which meant that they had every right to find a lifeboat and save themselves from the sinking ship. Instead, they chose to play on for over 2 hours as the ship sank ever deeper. Just as in the 1997 movie, they played a selection of live music and the famous Hymn Nearer My God to thee to keep morale up. None of the band members survived.