PRINTTitanic Trivia: 100 years, a few facts
Since the sinking of the Titanic, a century has provided a sea of historical and movie trivia
Photo courtesy of Paramont Pictures
April 12, 2012 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Pointing fingers at the moon
After 100 years of just blaming the iceberg, scientists are accusing the moon is starting to look guilty. Scientists at Texas State University-San Marcos have discovered new evidence suggesting a full moon three months prior to the crash caused unusually strong tides, which sent the iceberg southward, right into the path of the Titanic.
A picture is worth several grand
A recently discovered photo supposedly shows the iceberg that brought down the Titanic as well as a lifeboat that saved some of its passengers. The photo was taken by a passenger aboard the Carpathia and is being sold along with other Titanic artifacts online at rrauction.com April 19 through April 26. The auction company’s vice president appraised the photo at somewhere between $5,000 and $8,000.
Who was driving this thing?
The Titanic almost collided with the New York, an American ship, as it left port on April 10, 1912. The two ships were a few feet away from hitting each other, but quick action from the Titanic’s crew and harbor tugboats prevented a disaster from occurring. In the end, it only delayed the Titanic’s maiden voyage by one hour.
U.S. one-percenters lucked out
Well-known American business moguls J. Pierpont Morgan and Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt almost joined the Titanic’s maiden voyage. They were two of 50 people to cancel their reservation. Business in Europe required Morgan to cancel last-minute. Vanderbilt canceled his reservation, but he died when the Lusitania sank three years later.
Related ArticlesDirectorial dive
James Cameron, director of the movie Titanic, has gone on several deep-sea dives. On his most recent expedition on March 25, 2012, he supposedly tweeted while in a deep-sea submersible, saying, “Just arrived at the ocean’s deepest pt. Hitting bottom never felt so good. Can’t wait to share what I’m seeing w/you @DeepChallenge.” He actually wrote the tweet before submerging, and one of his friend’s sent out the tweet. Apparently it’s difficult to pick up cell reception at 35,756 feet, or nearly 7 miles, under the ocean’s surface. His next planned voyage is rumored to be an intergalactic space trip to Pandora.
I do declare, Mr. Dawson!
In order to maintain correct 1912 mannerisms, 150 core extras were hired to be in the movie. They had to take a three-hour 1912 etiquette course from the film’s choreographer, Lynne Hockney. Although Kate Winslet was familiar with formal etiquette, Leonardo DiCaprio was not. According to the book Titanic: Anatomy of a Blockbuster, DiCaprio turned to the row of various eating utensils and said, “Which one of these do I use to lobotomize myself?”
A titanic cost
Titanic, the movie, cost $200 million to make, costing more than the actual Titanic ship. Taking inflation into account, the $7.5 million ship would have cost between $120 to $150 million in 1997. Cameron could’ve just rebuilt the ship and crashed it. But that would mean no CGI, which would make Cameron extremely upset.
Who could’ve played Jack and Rose
Gwyneth Paltrow was considered to play the part of Rose DeWitt Bukater. She could’ve pulled off the role; but another actor, Matthew McConaughey, was also considered for the role of Jack Dawson … yikes. Cameron probably would’ve changed Jack’s background from a penniless Wisconsinite with a knack for sketching nudes to a southern lawyer with a proclivity for taking his shirt off. You can’t do that in subzero Atlantic waters, McConaughey!
