On the night of April 14, 1912, the R.M.S. Titanic chugged through frigid waters in the North Atlantic Ocean boarding over 2,200 passengers unaware of the looming danger ahead. At the time the Titanic was the largest man-made moving object in the world, on its way to New York City from Southampton, England. Travelers expected a posh and comfortable ride as the Titanic was seen as a lavish decorated first-class resort. Some amenities for first-class guests included gourmet meals, a heated pool, squash courts, and even the ship's newspaper.
But four days after setting sail, the Titanic struck an iceberg that tore a 300-foot gash into the ship. Water began to flood the ship and riders evacuated into lifeboats. Out of the 2,200 riders, only about 700 would survive. It took three years to build the large ship, but only three hours to sink to the bottom of the ocean floor.
We remember the historic event of the Titanic 112 years later. Here are a few facts about the Titanic you may have not known.- The most expensive ticket on the Titanic cost about $99,000 in today’s money.- The Titanic was about as long as three football fields.- Titanic had about 86,000 pounds of meat, 40,000 eggs, 40 tons of potatoes, 7,000 heads of lettuce, 3,500 pounds of onions, 36,000 apples, and 1,000 loaves of bread on board to feed all passengers and crew members.- The Titanic was so large it could carry 3,547 passengers and crew, but only about 2,200 people traveled on its first voyage.- The engines used more than 800 tons of coal each day on the Titanic. The ship reached a top speed of 24 knots or 27 miles per hour.
It's important we remember the Titanic. The story has lived on in many ways with the discovery of the shipwreck in 1985 by Robert Ballard, many documentaries, and of course the story we all know and love of Jack and Rose in James Cameron’s Oscar award-winning film. Before you ask, Jack and Rose were not real passengers on the Titanic, but a few characters were![embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PhMWUoPDsk[/embed]
