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History

100

What date did the Titanic sink?

April 15, 1912

200

What was the Titanic's original purpose?

The Titanic's original purpose was to serve as a luxury passenger liner for the White Star Line, making transatlantic voyages between Europe and North America to carry both wealthy travelers and immigrants.

300

Who was the captain of the Titanic?

Edward John Smith

400

What was the Titanic's fate during its maiden voyage?

It sank after hitting an iceberg.

500

What major event sparked the Titanic's construction?

The Titanic's construction was sparked by intense competition for dominance in the transatlantic passenger trade. The British shipping line White Star Line sought to rival its chief competitor, the Cunard Line, by building the largest and most luxurious ships in the world. 

Survivor

100

Name one famous survivor of the Titanic.

Famous survivors of the Titanic include "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" (Margaret Brown), a socialite and philanthropist; J. Bruce Ismay, the chairman and managing director of the White Star Line; and Archibald Gracie IV, a military officer and historian. Other notable survivors were fashion designer Lucy Lady Duff-Gordon, silent film star Dorothy Gibson, and the youngest survivor, Millvina Dean.

200

How many passengers survived?

Of its total 2,240 passengers and crew, only 706 people

300

What did some survivors do to help others?

Survivors helped each other by steering lifeboats, organizing relief funds, and providing aid to fellow survivors aboard the rescue ship.

400

Who was the last living survivor of the Titanic?

The last living survivor of the Titanic was Millvina Dean, who died on May 31, 2009, at the age of 97. She was the youngest passenger on the ship, just nine weeks old when it sank.  

• Who she was: Millvina Dean was a British cartographer and the youngest person to survive the disaster. 

  
  

  
  

• Her survival: She was put into a lifeboat with her mother and older brother, but her father did not survive. 

  
  

  
  

• Her life: Dean didn't have any memories of the sinking, as she was only an infant at the time. She lived a full life and, after the ship's wreck was discovered in the 1980s, became active in Titanic commemoration events

  
  

500

What was the age of the youngest survivor?

9 weeks old

Cultural Impact

100

Name a movie that depicts the Titanic disaster.

The Titanic or A Night to Remember

200

What song became famous due to the Titanic movie?

The song that became famous because of the 1997 movie Titanic is "My Heart Will Go On," performed by Céline Dion.

300

How has the Titanic influenced maritime laws?

International regulations

• Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS): The Titanic disaster was the direct catalyst for the first SOLAS convention in 1914. 

  
  

  • Lifeboats: Mandates that ships must carry enough lifeboats for every person on board. 
    
    
  • Lifeboat drills: Requires regular drills to ensure crew and passengers know how to use the lifeboats. 
    
    
  • Radio watch: Mandates continuous radio watch on all ships to monitor distress calls. 
    
    
• International Ice Patrol: Established to monitor and warn ships of icebergs in the North Atlantic after the Titanic hit one. 

  
  

Radio and communication

• Radio Act of 1912: Required all vessels to have 24-hour radio systems and required radio operators to have a federal license. This addressed the issue of the Californiannot hearing the Titanic's distress calls because its radio operator had turned off the equipment for the night. 
  
  

Ship design and construction

• Reinforced bulkheads: Bulkheads were extended higher to create fully watertight compartments.
• Double hulls: Many ships were refitted to have double hulls to increase their buoyancy and prevent flooding in the event of a collision. 
  
  

Liability and compensation

• Limitation of Liability laws: The Titanic's owner invoked a law to limit their liability to the value of the remaining ship, which was minimal as the rest had sunk. This practice continued for many years, leaving victims with little recourse. 

  
  
• Jones Act: Although not directly passed in response to the Titanic, the Act, also known as the Merchant Marine Act, allows injured seafarers to sue their employers for negligence. 

  
  

400

Describe one myth about the Titanic.

One myth about the Titanic is that it was a "practically unsinkable" ship that the company, White Star Line, claimed was invincible, but this was a claim made only after the ship sank. In reality, the claim of being "unsinkable" was a post-sinking invention, while before the disaster, many who traveled on the ship considered it unsinkable due to its luxury and safety features, as mentioned in a promotional item. The company even claimed it was "as far as it is possible to do so, these two wonderful vessels are designed to be unsinkable". 

• The "unsinkable" myth: It is a myth that the Titanic was described as "unsinkable" before it sank.

  
  

• Promotional claim: The ship's designers and builders never claimed the ship was completely unsinkable. However, White Star Line did promote the ship as "practically unsinkable" in a promotional item and noted it was designed with safety as a priority.

  
  

• Post-sinking invention: The "unsinkable" label gained widespread traction after the disaster, serving as a way for the public to understand the tragedy.

  
  

• Sister ship: The Olympic, a sister ship to the Titanic, was also promoted as "practically unsinkable" and did not sink, which suggests the claim wasn't an intentional lie on the part of White Star Line.

  
  

500

What is the Titanic's legacy in popular culture?

A symbol of hubris and technological limits: The disaster is a cautionary tale about human ambition and the false belief in modern technology's infallibility. 

A backdrop for romantic tragedy: The story is often framed through a romantic lens, with fictionalized accounts focusing on love stories set against the backdrop of the disaster, most notably in the 1997 film. 

A reflection of social class: The stark class divisions aboard the ship are frequently highlighted in retellings, showcasing the different experiences of passengers from different socioeconomic backgrounds. 

A source of enduring fascination: The discovery of the wreck in 1985 and ongoing expeditions continue to fuel public interest and provide new information, which is then reflected in documentaries, books, and other media. 

An inspiration for various media: The disaster has inspired a vast range of cultural products, including films like A Night to Remember, musical works such as Gavin Bryars' "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet", and numerous books, plays, and songs

Technical Aspects

100

How many lifeboats did the Titanic carry?

20

200

What was the Titanic made of?

The Titanic was primarily made of steel plates joined by over three million iron and steel rivets.

300

What was unique about the Titanic's construction?

Engineering and construction

• Massive scale: The ship was 882.5 feet long, making it the largest vessel of its time. 
• Watertight compartments: It featured 16 watertight compartments, and the design claimed it could stay afloat even if the first four compartments were flooded. 
• Double hull: The hull was constructed with two layers of steel, with the inner layer being 1 inch thick. 
• Luxury amenities: The ship included a swimming pool, a squash court, a gymnasium, and a Turkish bath, which were considered highly innovative for the time. 
• Structural components: The construction involved 2,000 hull plates and over 3 million rivets. 
• Distinctive fourth funnel: While three of the four funnels were functional, the fourth was a "dummy" funnel added to make the ship look more impressive and powerful, as well as to provide ventilation for the kitchens

400

Name one technological advancement featured on the Titanic.

The Titanic was equipped with a Marconi wireless telegraph system. Considered one of the most powerful wireless stations in the world at the time, it allowed passengers to send and receive personal messages known as "marconigrams" and was also used for ship-to-ship communications

500

What safety regulations were ignored during the Titanic's design?

Lifeboats

Insufficient capacity: The Titanic had enough lifeboats for only about half of the maximum number of people on board, although it did have more than the legally required amount at the time. 

Outdated regulations: The rules were written for ships much smaller than the Titanic, and no new regulations for such a large vessel had been put in place. 

Emergency provisions: The lifeboats were equipped with essential emergency tools like lights and compasses, but they were also equipped with flimsy, single-use twine to secure their sails, which were of little use in an emergency. 

Other issues

Lack of drills: No lifeboat drills were ever conducted, so the crew was not properly trained in how to launch or operate the lifeboats. 

Communication problems: The Titanic received multiple ice warnings, but an important one was not passed to the bridge in time, and the lookouts lacked binoculars, which would have improved their ability to spot the iceberg earlier. 

Outdated standards: The British Board of Trade, the governing body, deferred safety responsibility to the shipping line. The belief was that the Titanic's large size and new engineering would be a substitute for new safety provisions

Literature

100

Who wrote the famous novel about the Titanic?

 It was written by Morgan Robertson.

200

What year was the Titanic novel published?

The novel Futility, or the Wreck of the Titan was published in 1898, predating the Titanic disaster.

300

How does literature depict the Titanic tragedy?

Literature depicts the Titanic tragedy through themes of technological hubris, class division, romantic tragedy, and as a historical event that foreshadowed later disasters. It is explored in novels like Morgan Robertson's Futility, or the Wreck of the Titan, which eerily foreshadowed the sinking, and in poetry that grapples with fate, loss, and human insignificance. The tragedy has been retold across genres, from historical accounts to fictional dramas, often focusing on human resilience, heroism, and the immense loss of life.

400

Name a poem inspired by the Titanic.

A famous poem inspired by the sinking of the 

Titanic is "The Convergence of the Twain" by Thomas Hardy. The poem was written in 1912 for a charity performance to benefit the victims' families.

500

What themes are commonly explored in Titanic literature?

Human ambition vs. nature

• Technological overconfidence: The Titanic was deemed "unsinkable," representing the pinnacle of human engineering and luxury. The subsequent disaster is often framed as a cautionary tale about human hubris and the folly of trusting completely in technology. The novel Futility, or The Wreck of the Titan was written years before the actual sinking and also warned of technological arrogance.
• The indifference of nature: The poems "The Convergence of the Twain" by Thomas Hardy and "Titanic" by David R. Slavitt critique the vanity of the ship's builders. They contrast the elegant, human-made vessel with the raw, indifferent power of the iceberg and the sea.
• A new future: For many third-class passengers, the voyage represented a chance at a new life in America. This theme of hope and a brighter future is tragically cut short by the disaster. 

Social and class divisions

• Stratified society: The Titanic was a microcosm of society, and literature often emphasizes the stark contrast between the opulence of the first-class cabins and the cramped conditions of third class. Authors explore how these social boundaries shaped passengers' experiences and fates, especially as the disaster began.
• Survival rates: The disproportionately high death toll among third-class passengers reveals the social inequalities of the era. While some authors interpreted the self-sacrifice of wealthy men as noble, others viewed the working-class losses as a sign of neglect.
• Breaking class barriers: Romantic plots, such as the famous story of Jack and Rose, often explore a love that defies the restrictive social conventions of the time. 

Heroism, tragedy, and survival

• Human behavior in crisis: Literature explores a full range of human responses to the disaster, from acts of incredible heroism and self-sacrifice to moments of panic and fear. Survivor testimonies and fictionalized accounts provide personal insight into how individuals responded under extreme pressure.
• Defining tragedy: Authors debate how to interpret the disaster. Some view it as a Greek tragedy driven by hubris, while others criticize the romanticization of the event and focus on its horrific, human cost.
• Life after survival: Some books, such as Diane Hoh's Remembering the Titanic, examine the long-term emotional and psychological impact on those who survived the ordeal. Themes of grief, guilt, and the struggle to rebuild one's life often play a prominent role. 

Morality and self-sacrifice

• "Women and children first": The protocol that prioritized the lives of women and children is a frequently explored theme. It sparks discussions about the gender relations of the time and the concept of chivalrous sacrifice.
• Challenged values: Some literary accounts use the sinking to challenge or subvert prevailing social and racial beliefs. For example, some early blues songs portrayed a Black boxing champion being refused passage, only for the ship to sink, a tale that warned against putting faith in "the white man's technology".