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10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Titanic

1. Did you know? The 1997 Leo DiCaprio film we all know and love is the second movie about the sinking of the Titanic to win an Oscar for Best Picture.

2. Speaking of that famous movie, the original motion picture’s earnings would be enough to make about 5 Titanics today, each with a hefty price tag of about 400 million USD. And that’s not even including the profits from the 2012 3-D re-release of the film.

3. Despite costing a pretty penny, the ship had just two (2!!) bathtubs for all of its 700 or so third-class passengers – one for women and one for men. Hopefully these days the cheap seats are a little more hygienic!

4. There was just one car aboard the Titanic on its fateful maiden voyage. It was a 1912 Renault CB Coupe de Ville owned by William Carter of Bryn Mawr, PA. Carter had purchased the vehicle in Europe where he was traveling with his wife and two kids. Luckily for the family, they all survived the lethal trip back to the United States, but the Renault has never been found.

5. The most expensive first-class ticket to New York cost 4,350 USD in 1912. Adjusted for inflation, that ticket would have been worth about 69,000 these days. Yep – almost 70 grand for a ticket that may have ended up costing your life, too!

6. A few seconds can make all the difference. Tragically, the lookout was able to spot the iceberg just 37 seconds before it hit the Titanic.

7. When the Titanic went under, it took more than people with it. Nearly 2,000 people and animals sunk under the Atlantic, along with 3,500 bags of mail the ship was carrying to the States. The United States Postal Service would still be required by federal law to deliver any and all of those postal items if they are ever discovered. Seems to me the writing might be a little faded by now…

8. At least one man survived the wreckage thanks to a last-minute cocktail – okay, a bottle of whiskey. Charles Joughin, the ship’s Chief Baker, helped to pack bread for passengers into the lifeboats while the ship sank. When he was done, he downed a bunch of whiskey that ended up saving his life! Despite the water’s freezing temperatures, Joughin was able to survive several hours swimming in the Atlantic until he was rescued, thanks to the alcohol in his system.

9. The last meal served aboard the Titanic was 11 courses long (!!!) and included such decadent desserts as vanilla eclairs, French ice cream, Waldorf pudding, and peaches in chartreuse jelly.

10. The Titanic was never actually called “unsinkable,” even though we’ve all been taught that in school. Shipbuilder Magazine published a piece about the ship in 1911 describing the many safety features. The writer commented that the ship would be “practically unsinkable” when the watertight doors were closed. Note the caveats that conveniently didn’t make it into our history books!