Photos of the Titanic Tragedy From 101 Years Ago

On this day in 1912, at approximately 11:40 p.m., an iceberg was sighted along Titanic’s maiden voyage across the Atlantic. The crew reversed the engines, pulling the ship “hard-a-starboard,” and it began to turn—but it was too late. 

Above, a group of men gaze up at Titanic’s massive rudders, which couldn’t save the ship in that fateful moment, before the liner set off to sea. The photo is one of our photo collection commemorating the anniversary of the sinking. View the rest on Smithsonian.com.

Photo: Harland & Wolff Shipyard via Wikimedia Commons

thedailyfeed:

This is believed to be the only photo ever taken of the iceberg that sank the Titanic. And it’s for sale. 

Ed note: The notables who planned to sail on the Titanic but luckily missed the fateful voyage.

Titanic By The Numbers

• Set sail less than 75 percent full.
• 16,850 bottles of wine.
• Cost $7.5 million to build. That’s equal to $167 million today.
• Click through to History Channel for more.

Ed note: Want to know who just missed the Titanic? How an optical illusion may be to blame for the disaster? Then check out our Titanic page!

life:

Behold — TIME LightBox presents the only surviving on-board photos of the Titanic, taken by Irish priest Francis Browne. See the photos here.

(Fr Browne SJ Collection—UIG/The Bridgeman Art Library)

(via theatlantic)

Did the Titanic Sink Because of an Optical Illusion?

Atmospheric conditions in the area that night were ripe for super refraction, British historian Tim Maltin found. This extraordinary bending of light causes miraging, which, he discovered, was recorded by several ships in the area.

Continue reading at Smithsonian.com.

Illustration by Charles Floyd

Seven Famous People Who Missed the Titanic

The man behind the Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar, Hershey’s Kisses, Hershey’s Syrup, and the Pennsylvania city that bears his name had spent the winter in France and planned to sail home on the Titanic.

Continue reading at Smithsonian.com.

Photo by AP Photo / The Hershey Library via the Patriot-News