{"id":49387,"date":"2019-04-15T14:41:31","date_gmt":"2019-04-15T18:41:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=49387"},"modified":"2023-09-01T14:44:07","modified_gmt":"2023-09-01T18:44:07","slug":"3-facts-you-didnt-know-about-the-titanic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/3-facts-you-didnt-know-about-the-titanic.html","title":{"rendered":"3 Facts You Didn\u2019t Know about the \u2018Titanic\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article \u2013 to mark the 107th<\/sup> anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic \u2013 Gena Philibert-Ortega presents three facts that may surprise you about the famous disaster. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Titanic<\/em>. You\u2019ve heard the stories, watched the movies, and know the basics of the story of that great ocean liner that sank on 15 April 1912, with the loss of more than 1,500 people. Even with all the information that is available about this historical tragedy, there\u2019s even more to be discovered.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: RMS Titanic departing Southampton on 10 April 1912. Credit: F.G.O. Stuart; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For example, did you know that some people believed one man predicted the tragedy 14 years prior to the sinking? That there were six Chinese men who survived the sinking \u2013 only to virtually disappear once they arrived in the United States? Or that the first movie about the Titanic<\/em> was released the month after the sinking and starred one of the survivors?<\/p>\n

Those are just three facts not commonly known about the Titanic<\/em>, as we\u2019ll explore in this article.<\/p>\n

(1) The Titan<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

A large unsinkable ship sets sail in April. About 400 nautical miles from Newfoundland it hits an iceberg on its starboard side. Because it is carrying the bare minimum number of lifeboats, the loss of life is great.<\/p>\n

Sound familiar? Author Morgan Robertson detailed that fictional account of a tragedy that befell a passenger ship in his 1898 novel Futility<\/em>, later renamed The Wreck of the Titan, or Futility<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was the largest craft afloat and the greatest of the works of man.\u201d
\n— Morgan Robertson, Futility<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"An<\/a>
Cleveland Leader (Cleveland, Ohio), 23 April 1912, page 10<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s no doubt that Robertson\u2019s story shares similarities with the real-life tragedy of the Titanic<\/em>, but his ship Titan\u2019s<\/em> sinking is just one aspect of an overall story that details the life of a disgraced, alcoholic U.S. Navy officer who eventually turns his life around. (1) Almost immediately after Titanic\u2019s<\/em> sinking, newspapers serialized Robertson\u2019s fictional account to show the remarkable similarities.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Bridgeport Evening Farmer (Bridgeport, Connecticut), 1 May 1912, page 12<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Was Morgan Robertson able to see the future? Some believe that he predicted not only the Titanic<\/em> disaster but also World War II with his short story, \u201cBeyond the Spectrum,\u201d that describes a war between the U.S. and Japan in which Japan plans a sneak attack on the West Coast city of San Francisco.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s interesting to compare the similarities between Robertson\u2019s Titan<\/em> and the real-life Titanic<\/em>, it\u2019s important to know that Robertson worked in the merchant service and after 30 years at sea he turned to writing stories about the sea. He knew passenger ship trends and used that knowledge to write his novel about the Titan<\/em>. It\u2019s just a coincidence that portions of his story match the details of the Titanic<\/em> tragedy.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Repository (Canton, Ohio), 28 April 1912, page 24<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You can read Futility<\/em> as well as \u201cBeyond the Spectrum\u201d in a collection of Robertson\u2019s stories for free on Google Books<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(2) The Forgotten Passengers<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to make assumptions about who was on the Titanic<\/em>. We hear a lot about the wealthy passengers, or about those who held 3rd<\/sup>-class tickets. The assumption is that the passengers were white Europeans or Americans sailing from or to home. Not as well known is that there were eight Chinese men and one Japanese man sailing on the Titanic<\/em>. All but two of the Chinese men survived the sinking. So why are their stories not as well known?<\/p>\n

The six surviving Chinese men who arrived in the United States after the sinking didn\u2019t stay in the U.S. for long. They were barred from entering due to the U.S.\u2019s immigration law at the time, the Chinese Exclusion Act. This act, first made into law in 1898, suspended Chinese immigration and declared the Chinese ineligible for citizenship. (2) These Chinese survivors of the Titanic<\/em> went from the rescue ship Carpathia<\/em> to Ellis Island \u2013 and then were deported from the United States. (3)<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Evening World (New York, New York), 19 April 1912, page 6<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Survivor Masabumi Hosono, the lone Japanese passenger, arrived in the United States where he eventually made his way to San Francisco, and then traveled back to Japan. He was accused of being a coward and faced ridicule back in his home country, eventually losing his job. While he did not allow talk of the Titanic<\/em> in his home, he did leave behind his story in the form of a handwritten account of the sinking on Titanic<\/em> stationery he had in his pocket at the time of the sinking. He died in 1939. (4)<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
State Journal-Register (Springfield, Illinois), 20 December 1997, page 30<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hosono and the Chinese men who survived the sinking were not alone in the ridicule that they suffered as male survivors. They, along with other men, were falsely accused of acquiring a seat on a lifeboat because they dressed as women. In addition, they also had the extra pressure of the racism of the time. The message to these and other men was very clear: heroic men sacrifice and die to save women and children.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Evening World (New York, New York), 19 April 1912, page 6<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the case of the Chinese passengers, a documentary titled \u201cThe Six<\/a>\u201d seeks to tell their story.<\/p>\n

(3) A Star to Remember<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dorothy Winifred Gibson was a 22-year-old American actress traveling with her mother, Pauline Gibson, on the Titanic<\/em>. Returning from an Italian vacation, the first-class passengers were looking to get back to the United States so that Dorothy could start work in a series of movies for the American branch of a French film company. Dorothy and her mother had traveled to Europe for a vacation after she had starred in a variety of comedies and dramas for the company.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Muskegon Chronicle (Muskegon, Michigan), 20 April 1912, page 11<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the time of the Titanic\u2019s<\/em> impact with the iceberg, Dorothy was walking back to her stateroom after having finished playing bridge with some fellow passengers. She noticed that the deck was lopsided, so she decided to get her mother. Both women made their way to lifeboat #7 and were among the survivors of the Titanic<\/em>. (5)<\/p>\n

Probably not surprisingly, Dorothy was asked almost immediately to star in a movie about her experience on the Titanic<\/em>. The film Saved from the Titanic<\/em> came out 29 days after its namesake\u2019s sinking. The 10-minute film included Dorothy in the clothes she wore the night of the disaster, as well as \u201cstock footage of icebergs, Titanic\u2019s sister ship Olympic and the ship\u2019s captain, Edward Smith.\u201d (6)<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Augusta Chronicle (Augusta, Georgia), 15 May 1912, page 10<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saved from the Titanic<\/em> was Dorothy\u2019s last film, as she decided to pursue a singing career. Her life after the Titanic<\/em> did not get any easier. A year later she was driving her lover Jules Brulatour\u2019s car when she struck and killed a passenger. She and Jules were involved in a six-year-long affair, and after he finally divorced his wife they married \u2013 but the union was dissolved two years later. Dorothy then decided to move to Europe and lived in Italy during World War II, where she was arrested for anti-Fascist agitation and spent time in prison, which she eventually escaped. Dorothy died in 1946 in France from a heart attack at the age of 56. Her last film, Saved from the Titanic<\/em>, has been lost.<\/p>\n

Titanic<\/em> 107 Years Later<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is still more to discover about that night on 15 April 1912. Make sure to read our other blog articles about the Titanic<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Explore over 330 years of newspapers and historical records in GenealogyBank. Discover your family story! Start a 7-Day Free Trial<\/a><\/p>\n

__________________<\/p>\n

(1) \u201cThe Wreck of the Titan: Or, Futility,\u201d Wikipedia (https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Wreck_of_the_Titan:_Or,_Futility: accessed 11 April 2019).
\n(2) \u201cChinese Exclusion Act,\u201d History (https:\/\/www.history.com\/topics\/immigration\/chinese-exclusion-act-1882: accessed 11 April 2019).
\n(3) \u201cHow six Chinese men survived the Titanic disaster\u2026,\u201d South China Morning Post (https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/culture\/film-tv\/article\/2141549\/how-six-chinese-men-survived-titanic-disaster-and-racist-us-federal: accessed 11 April 2019).
\n(4) \u201cMasabumi Hosono,\u201d Wikipedia (https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Masabumi_Hosono: accessed 11 April 2019).
\n(5) Miss Dorothy Winifred Gibson, \u201cEncyclopedia Titanica (https:\/\/www.encyclopedia-titanica.org\/titanic-survivor\/dorothy-gibson.html: accessed 11 April 2019).
\n(6) \u201cSaved from the Titanic,\u201d Wikipedia (https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Saved_from_the_Titanic: accessed 11 April 2019).<\/p>\n

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