Everyday Cait

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100 Years of Titanic

I've been fascinated by the Titanic since before the movie came out. I’ve read dozens of books, watched countless documentaries, and devoured all of the material I could get. If you’ve read any of my past blogs, you know that I’m an Edwardian fanatic. I adore the glamor and regality of those times, but I understand that it was not all wonderful either. For those of you who have lived under a rock for the past couple of months, today is the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking. For those of you who are also unaware, I live in Halifax, which played a huge part in recovery efforts that happened after the sinking. The recovery boat that was sent to collect bodies departed from Halifax, and many of the dead were taken here to be embalmed and identified, and some were even buried here.

First, I want to come clean about something that I’ve been feeling. The Titanic was nothing short of a disaster. More than 1500 people lost their lives, which was roughly 2/3 of the passengers on the liner. It was a tragedy that ripped families apart and changed the world. It makes me very sad how it’s nearly become a tacky money maker. This wrenches my heart in a way that you can’t even imagine. In between the movies, and made-in-china souvenirs, it’s become something that it’s not. For kind of a comparison, imagine if the tragedy that was the world trade center was treated the same way. People would be upset. But I digress.

I find the Titanic so interesting, because it was the most luxurious and wonderful place in the world. At the time, the richest people in the world were on that ship. They wanted for nothing the entire voyage, until it sank. The people who went down with the ship included Mr. Andrews, an engineer who designed the ship, J.J. Astor, possibly the richest man in the world, and Isidor Strauss, founder of Macys. And when it sank, all the money in the world couldn’t save them. This is what gets me the most. While it is true that a disproportionately high number of third class people died as compared to first class, they were all thrown in together, having all suffered loss.

Last night, as part of the Titanic Memorial Services, I took a walk around the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. I highly recommend you go if you ever happen to be in Halifax. The exhibits there are somber and respectful, yet very captivating. A deck chair, a child’s shoe, and various other artifacts illustrate how Titanic looked, back when it was the ship of dreams, and not the ship of nightmares. Later, I went to a Candlelit Evening, hosted by Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent. It also had the respectful feeling that I was really hopeful for. Perhaps the most interesting of all was hearing the children and grandchildren of survivors and victims discussing their parents’ stories. After a century, it is easy to forget that they were people, with whole lives ahead of them, forever impacted.




The Titanic forever changed the world, in terms of maritime safety. It also affected the hearts and minds of whole countries when it came to handling such a disaster. Before that time, such a loss of life was nearly unheard of. As we move into the future, I hope that the lessons learned are not forgotten.