Titanic – the 1997 movie that put Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio on the map – has been seen by pretty much everyone. It’s a classic love story that turns tragedy based on actual events that happened when the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in April of 1912. The basic information about the Titanic sinking and the story – a lot of people know. The ship departed from Southhampton to voyage to New York – with over 2,000 people on board, all from different socioeconomic backgrounds and classes – much like the film depicts. Also, much like the film, there were not enough boats for everyone on the ship. In reality, only 705 people on board the Titanic survived – out of the 2,000+.
But, there are a lot of things that people don’t know about the story of the Titanic – things that were not included in the film or most conversations about the tragedy.
1.
Many people believe that the Titanic was out at sea all by itself – which is why no one was able to come help save passengers. But, there actually happened to be another ship nearby – 20 miles away. While that seems like a far distance – if they were the only other boat nearby, they should have seen the Titanic flares launched into the sky for help. According to sources, the people on board the SS Californian – the other ship – thought the flares were “company signals.” And, the SOS signals to the radio were not heard until the following day because – the radio operator had fallen asleep.
2.
Much like many tragedies in the world, there are people who write or report stories similar in nature. One author, Morgan Robertson, wrote an American novel about a ship called “The Titan” called – The Wreck of the Titan: Or, Futility. The story revolved around a large ship that also hit an iceberg and sank. In his novel, many people died because there were not enough lifeboats on the ship – similarly, many people on Titanic died for the very same reason. Of course, it’s strange – and a bit unsettling.