Titanic

Remembering History: Pierre Laval Executed (15 Oct 1945) and Hermann Goering Commits Suicide (15 Oct 1946)

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Pierre Laval Executed (15 October 1945)

FRANCE – JANUARY 02: Marshal Petain And Prime Minister Pierre Laval In The Park Of The Sevigne Pavillion In Vichy In 1942. Behind Them, On The Left, Dr. Bernard Menetrel Keeps Out Of Their Conversation. (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)
Public Doman via Wikimedia Commons

Following the French surrender to Germany in 1940, the Vichy state was created with Henri -Phillipe Pétain in charge and Pierre Laval as head of state. Laval began his political life as a pacifist but shifted to fascism in the 1930’s and anti-communist supporting France aligning with Italy rather than the Soviet Union. With war looming in 1939, he argued against war with Germany encouraging the antiwar faction to avoid sending troops into Germany when it invaded Poland in September 1939. His support of Germany got himself a high position in the new Vichy government.

Pétain disliked Laval and dismissed him after learning he was negotiating with Germany on his own. His friendship with Hitler though would bring him back into power becoming the real ruler of Vichy with Pétain as a figurehead. Under his rule, he carried out German directives rounding up and deporting Jews and imposing their draconian laws and policies. He fled to Germany after France was liberated in 1944. He had to flee again when Germany was defeated in 1945 to Spain. Franco deported him and hid out in Austria ultimately surrendering to American forces. Put on trial in France for his collaboration with Germany, he was found guilty of treason after a sensational trial that revealed how complicit he had been. Sentenced to death, he attempted suicide and failed. He was executed by firing squad on 15 October 1945.

Marshal Henri -Phillipe Pétain, revered for his service for France in World War I, was spared execution. Though convicted of treason and sentenced to death, the court asked that it not be carried out. President Charles de Gaulle commuted his sentence to life imprisonment. He was stripped of nearly all his military ranks and decorations but retained the rank of Marshal. He died in 1951.

Hermann Goering Commits Suicide (15 October 1946)

Herman Goering body, 15 Oct 1946
Public Domain

Hermann Goering was the highest member of Nazi Germany to be put on trial after World War II (except for Admiral Donitz who was appointed Reich President by Hitler in 1945). As Reichsmarschall, he held the highest military rank answerable only to Hitler and his designated successor. He commanded the Luftwaffe, was president of the Reichstag, prime minister of Prussia and many more titles too long to list here. Under his direction, concentration camps were created to imprison the regime’s enemies. Goering was greatly responsible for many of the anti-Jewish policies that were implemented particularly Kristallnacht where Jewish business were looted and nearly every synagogue was burned to the ground. He was known for his great art collection that was substantially increased as it was enlarged by art taken from captured countries.

Because of his high position and Hitler’s confidence in him, few dared to oppose him. Only SS head Heinrich Himmler was his only threat. Both ironically would try and fail to assume power in the last days before Germany fell in 1945. Goering’s stature had diminished over time with Hitler. He failed to deliver a fatal blow during the Battle of Britain (1940) and his Luftwaffe did not deter enemy bombings of Germany. His increased reliance on painkillers to overcome depression led to addiction causing problems for Hitler and others around him. After his dismissal (officially called a retirement for health reasons), he would later surrender himself to Allied forces rather than be taken by the Soviets. He would be tried in Nuremberg for various crimes against humanity.

As a result of his imprisonment, Goering’s addiction to painkillers ended allowing him to defend himself at the International Military Tribunal. He denied complicity in the more heinous acts done in concentration camps and the murdering of Jews, blaming them on Himmler. He tried to portray himself as a peacemaker and diplomat. Some testimony pointed out that opposing Hitler was impossible as it meant execution. However, when documents were introduced showing his complicity in Kristallnacht in 1938. Testimony also showed he knew about the execution of 50 airman who escaped but got recaptured as well as the extermination of Hungarian Jews.

He was found guilty of all charges on 30 September 1946 and sentenced to be hanged. He asked to be shot as a soldier but that was denied. Before he was to be executed on 16 October 1946, he committed suicide the night before taking a potassium cyanide capsule. Attempts to revive him failed but the mystery of how he obtained the poison would linger for years. A note written by him was found in 1967 stating he had hidden the capsule in a pomade container. In 2005 a former army private, Lee Stivers, who had served in the honor guard at the trial, came forward to say he had been given a pen by a German girl named Mona. According to his story, he had met her on the street one day and was impressed with him. Two male acquaintances of hers asked him to take secret messages to Goering using a fountain pen. He did this twice but on the third time he was told it contained a pill that was medication for Goering. He never saw the woman or the two men again and came forward to clear his conscience in the matter.

There are many that doubt Stivers story, but some believe it to be true. Aaron Breitbart of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles is quoted by the BBC as saying, “is crazy enough to be true.” In the end his body and the others executed were cremated and the ashes scattered over the Isar River.

Sources

Pierre Laval

Hermann Goering

Suggested Reading

Bross, Werner. Conversations with Göring Nuremberg 1946. Translated by Ralf Einem. Independently published, 2024.

Curtis, Michael. Verdict on Vichy: Power and Prejudice in the Vichy France Regime. Orion Media, 2004.

Gilbert, Martin. Kristallnacht: Prelude to Destruction. Harper Collins, 2007.

Manvell, Roger, and Heinrich Fraenkel. Goering: The Rise and Fall of the Notorious Nazi Leader. Skyhorse Publishing Inc., 2011.

Paxton, Robert O. Vichy France: Old Guard and New Order 1940-1944. Columbia University Press, 2001.

Persico, Joseph E. Nuremberg: Infamy on Trial Penguin, 1995

Shirer, William L. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany. Simon and Schuster, 2011.

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History

Today is Christopher Columbus Day (Observed)

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Christopher Columbus (done after his death in 1506)
Sebastiano del Piombo (1485–1547)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Today is Columbus Day in the United States.  Celebrating Columbus began in 1792 in New York City and became an annual tradition.  As a result of 11 Italian immigrants being murdered by a mob in New Orleans in 1892, President Benjamin Harrison declared Columbus Day as a one-time national celebration. This was also part of a wider effort to ease tensions and to placate Italian Americans and Italy, which had expressed official dismay at the murders. Italian Americans began using Columbus Day to not only celebrate Columbus but their heritage as well.

Serious lobbying was undertaken to enshrine the holiday in states and ultimately the federal government. Colorado proclaimed it a holiday in 1905 and made it an official holiday in 1907. In 1934 after lobbying from the Knights of Columbus and New York City Italian leader Generoso Pope, Congress passed a statute requiring the president to proclaim October 12 as Columbus Day each year and asked Americans to observe it with “appropriated ceremonies” in schools, churches, and other places. However, it was a not yet a federal holiday. The effort to make it a federal holiday began in 1966 when the National Columbus Day Committee lobbied to make it a federal holiday. This was achieved in 1968 and has been a federal holiday since then.

Like most federal holidays, it is often celebrated on a Monday of the week the date it falls on. The exception being if falls on a Saturday, it would be celebrated on Friday.

Columbus is recognized for his discovery of the New World. He, like many, were eager to discover the riches of Cathay, India, and Japan. Since the Ottoman Empire closed off using Egypt and the Red Sea to Europeans (land routes were closed as well), European explorers were eager to find a sea route. Columbus (and he was not the only one) held the belief that by sailing west they would be able to get to the Indies. While many educated Europeans (like Columbus) believed the Earth was round, they had no concept of how it big it really was. Thus, they thought East Asia was closer than it was.

After securing financing from the Spanish monarchy, Columbus set sail on 3 August 1492 with three ships-Santa Maria, the Pinta and the Nina–from Palos, Spain. On 12 October 1492 land was sighted. They would find Cuba later and Columbus thought it was Japan. They landed on Hispaniola in December and left a small colony behind. Returning to Spain in 1493, he was received with high honors by the Spanish court.

Map of the first voyage of Christopher Columbus, 1492-1493. Modern place names are in black, Columbus’s place names are in blue.
Keith Pickering (28 Nov 2011)
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Columbus would lead four expeditions to the New World exploring the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and South and Central American mainland. His original goal of finding a western ocean route to Asia was never accomplished. And he likely never truly understood the full scope of what he had accomplished. The New World–North America, the Caribbean, Central and South America–would open new opportunities for exploration and wealth. Spain would become one of the wealthiest and powerful nations on Earth as a result.

Sea travel of great distances in the 15th century was quite a challenge, fraught with all kinds of uncertainty and dangers. They had to depend on the wind, current and favorable weather, and the stars. The sextant had not been invented yet, so they used a procedure called Dead Reckoning. This required the use of simple arithmetic and process to determine their location. A long rope was used, a piece of wood, an hourglass, and a compass. The navigator would record in a logbook the daily speed and direction. The rope was knotted every four to six feet along its length. Arithmetic tells us that distance traveled in a single direction can be measured by multiplying the speed with the time. You might have done some of this in grade school. A car traveling at 30 miles per hour for two hours would travel 60 miles (speed x 2). A navigator would log the speed, direction, and time in the log. In this way they could measure the distance traveled to and from where they departed from. Changes in wind speed and other things would be recorded as well. Columbus used his own version, gained from experience sailing, of determining the speed and direction to enter in his log. He could feel the keel moving through the water and with his sense of the wind, knew what the speed of his ship was.

It was a remarkable and historic undertaking. Long sea voyages were often avoided because you were away for years at a time and dependent a great deal on nature to survive. And there was the terrible specter of scurvy. Many would die on long sea voyages from this scourge, which came from the lack of vitamin c in the diet. Fresh water in kegs often wet bad after a month, so beer and spirits (often rum), was where you got water from. Fruits and vegetables would only last so long, and meat had to be cured for long term use. So, food was rationed carefully. Later when it was realized that having citrus would alleviate this condition, sailors would get lime or lemon juice as part of their daily food ration. It became so common on British Royal Navy ships the sailors were called Limeys.

Italians and Spanish are rightly proud of his accomplishment. Others had touched upon America (the Vikings for one) prior to Columbus but none had opened the door as he did to a new part of the world that had been undiscovered. Like all our accomplished heroes of the past, he had his faults. In fact, not one hero you can point to doesn’t have faults. The ancient Greeks knew this and what defined a hero was someone who rose above them to do something extraordinary. The Greek hero Heracles (Hercules in Latin) had all kinds of faults but did things that rose above them. Columbus should be remembered for the courage, bravery, and fortitude to sail over the horizon to see what lay beyond. It would change the world and end the Venetian and Ottoman control of trade to the East forever. Columbus died on 20 May 1506. Gout was considered the cause of his death, but doctors today believe it was reactive arthritis.

Sources

Flint and Valerie IJ, “Christopher Columbus | Biography, Nationality, Voyages, Ships, Route, & Facts,” Encyclopedia Britannica, last modified October 11, 2025, accessed October 12, 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christopher-Columbus.

“Christopher Columbus – Facts, Voyage & Discovery | HISTORY,” HISTORY, last modified October 9, 2025, accessed October 12, 2025, https://www.history.com/articles/christopher-columbus.

Rafael Ortiz, “Christopher Columbus Was 100% Italian,” last modified July 29, 2025, accessed October 12, 2025, https://www.christophercolumbusthehero.com/2025/07/christopher-columbus-was-100-italian.html.

“Christopher Columbus: Man and Myth – 1492: An Ongoing Voyage | Exhibitions – Library of Congress,” accessed October 12, 2025, https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/1492/columbus.html.

Hunter Reardon, “Restored Columbus Statue From Richmond Finds New Home in New York,” Biweekly Newspaper for the Diocese of Richmond, last modified November 1, 2024, accessed October 12, 2025, https://catholicvirginian.org/news/restored-columbus-statue-finds-new-home-in-new-york/.

History

Interesting History: The First Train Robbery in U.S. History (6 Oct 1866)

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Advertisement for the 1896 play The Great Train Robbery.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540
Public Domain

Traveling was hazardous in the early days. Roads were generally poor especially in winter and rarely maintained except near cities. Travelers also faced being robbed by thieves on the roads. Railroads changed that by connecting people and freight to cities and towns. It seemed implausible, except when the train was in a depot or a freight yard, that a moving train would be robbed. On October 6, 1866, the Reno Gang boarded a train in Indiana and made off with $13,000 in cash, bank notes, and gold coins. The daring robbery wase replicated by other gangs resulting in railroads having to come up with better methods of protecting both passengers and valuable shipments.

On the night of October 6, 1866, the Reno Gang boarded the Ohio & Mississippi train at the Seymour depot. Once the train was underway, they made their way wearing masks to the Adams Express Company–a company that transported currency, precious metals, and packages–car where they forced the clerk to open a safe. They got $10,000 in bank notes and $3,000 in gold coins. Another safe could not be opened so they tossed it out; they were never able to open it. After signaling the train to stop, they got off and disappeared into the night

First logo for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Color version.
Circa 1850’s
Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The Reno Brothers were well known gang before and after the Civil War and caused lots of headaches. The gang frequently robbed post offices, homes, and murdered those who might talk about them. Their audacious robbery of a train would soon be imitated by other gangs and would become part of the lore of the old west. Trains carrying gold, cash, and other precious metal would become targets and became frequent in the 1870’s-1880’s. And they would become more deadly over time. Railroads were anxious to stop this banditry as it caused lots of bad press, angry passengers, and impacted shipping. So, they began adding armed guards to their trains along with horses in some cases so they could give chase. Bounties were made and the famous Pinkerton Agency was used to help track them down as well.

To make it more difficult to offload safes, they were made extra heavy all but making it impossible to toss them off the trains. And the people on the train may not have access to those safes for security reasons either making it useless to try and hold up the train (except to rob the passengers). While in the early days targeting trains was easy, deadly shootouts between the armed guards and gangs made it not worth trying as time went on. The Reno Brothers, an already notorious gang before and after the Civil War, added this to their roster of crimes that included robbing post offices, banks, homes, and murder. It did not end well for them. In 1868 after another successful train robbery that netted them $96,000, they were captured and held in jail pending trial. They had badly beaten an armed guard in the robbery and when he died while they were in jail, a vigilante mob was formed. They broke into the jail and took the Reno Brothers (Frank, William, and Sim) out and hung them from a tree.

Like most gangs, they had their supporters who threatened retaliation. The vigilantes-officially called the Jackson County Vigilance Committee-made it known that any retaliation would be met fiercely, which seems to have worked. While many in law enforcement wanted to bring them to trial and were not happy with this action, none of the vigilantes were identified or brought to trial for their actions. This ended one of the darker periods in southern Indiana history. The Reno Brothers Gang though would fade in memory while other gangs (such as the James Gang) would become more well known.

Sources

Jason Daley, “How The Reno Gang Launched the Era of American Train Robberies,” Smithsonian Magazine, October 6, 2016, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/reno-gang-launched-era-american-train-robberies-180960702/.

“Reno Gang’S Reign of Terror,” HistoryNet, last modified August 9, 2016, accessed October 6, 2025, https://www.historynet.com/reno-gangs-reign-of-terror/?r.

“The Reno Brothers Carry Out the First Train Robbery in U.S. History | October 6, 1866 | HISTORY,” HISTORY, last modified May 27, 2025, accessed October 6, 2025, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-6/first-u-s-train-robbery.

“Outlaws,” accessed October 6, 2025, https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-renogang/.

Miscellaneous

Welcome to October

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October, meaning eight in Latin, is the 10th month in Julian and Gregorian calendars. Originally it was the eighth month under the old Roman calendar and retains its name. The month begins the full transition to autumn in the Northern Hemisphere but spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

Trauger’s Farm,Bucks County,Pennsylvania(October 2006)
Photo:Frenchtowner(Wikipedia)

Harvests are underway in October, and seasonal produce appears in the grocery stores. Apples, artichokes, cranberries, pears, and pumpkins are part of this season along with others as well. Autumn festivals are starting to appear as well to celebrate the harvest. A major Autumn festival is Oktoberfest, an annual event that began in 1810 in Munich, Germany. Originally a royal marriage event, it has blossomed into a two-week festival the showcases agriculture, fun games and entertainment lots of food, and of course beer. Lots of beer. The Munich festival, which every major beer brewer in Munich participates, sees over 2 million gallons consumed. When Germans migrated to other countries, the festival came with them, and many cities now have the event.

Another rite of October is pumpkin carving. Back in Ireland, turnips were carved and a candle lit nearby to keep a rather disreputable wandering spirit named Stingy Jack from entering their homes. When the Irish migrated to America, they discovered a unique squash called pumpkin that was much easier to carve. Already useful for pumpkin pie and roasted pumpkin seeds, they started carving their Jack O’ Lanterns and placing them out for people to see. Others liked it and to the delight of pumpkin growers, people wanted more pumpkins to do their own versions. Now it has become its own unique American seasonal hobby to carve the most interesting or scary pumpkin face. Many festivals feature pumpkin carving contests. And today there are serious competitions each year. A related one, but without carving, is the growing of the largest pumpkin. Each year growers try to make a few reach that gargantuan size that will beat the previous year. Half Moon Bay in California is one such place where it takes place annually.

October, of course, is the countdown to All Hallow’s Eve or just Halloween. A time for kids to trick or treat, for parents to fret about all the candy they need to hand out, and of course to watch scary movies. Costumes vary from the simple to the very creative. Thoughtful parents get together and have an event together so that kids can have some fun, eat some creepy looking candy suited for the occasion and hear ghost stores when the lights are turned low. Perhaps that sound of a horse approaching outside is the Headless Horseman!

At any rate, welcome to October and may it be fun for you!

For More Information

Catherine Boeckmann, “The Month of October 2025: Holidays, Fun Facts, Folklore,” Almanac.Com, last modified September 24, 2025, accessed September 29, 2025, https://www.almanac.com/content/month-october-holidays-fun-facts-folklore.

Lesley Kennedy, “The Surprising History of October,” HISTORY, last modified September 29, 2025, accessed September 29, 2025, https://www.history.com/articles/october-month-history-facts.

“The Month of October,” accessed September 29, 2025, https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/months/october.html.

Wikipedia contributors, “October,” Wikipedia, September 26, 2025, accessed September 29, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October.

Maritime Disasters

Remembering the Victims of MS Express Samina (26 Sep 2000)

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On September 26, 2000, the MS Express Samina struck the Portes Islets rocks in the Parikia Bay near Paros Island, Aegean Sea resulting in 81 dead. This preventable disaster, due to poor judgment and complacency shocked Greece.

Express Samina in Piraeus in July 2000
Peter J. Fitzpatrick via Wikimedia Commons

 

The French-built MS Express Samina launched in 1966 had several names and owners. Initially MS Corse (1966-1982), then Golden Verginia (1982-1999), it was renamed MS Express Samina by her last owner Minoan Flying Dolphins. A RoPax ferry for both cars and passengers, it was ideal for Greek island routes. On Tuesday September 26, 2000, it left the Port of Piraeus, Greece bound for the islands of Paros, Naxos, Ikaria, Samos, Patmos and Lipsi in the Aegean Sea. She had 473 passengers and 61 crew members aboard.

At 10 p.m., the Express Samina approached Parikia, the port on Paros Island. Winds measured 8 on the Beaufort scale, indicating near gale-force conditions. The ship was on autopilot, but a required crew member was not on watch. Equipped with fin stabilizers to minimize motion, the ship could handle these conditions, but the port stabilizer was malfunctioning. This caused the ship to drift off course. A crew member arrived on the bridge but too late to correct it

At 10:22 p.m., the Samina struck the Portes islets reef, two miles from Parikia, traveling at 18 knots or 20 mph. It tore a six-foot-long, three-foot-high hole above the waterline. A stabilizer fin bent backward by the impact tore into the ship below the waterline near the engine room. The water disabled the main generators, cutting off electrical power. The open compartment doors unable to be closed remotely allowed water to spread into the ship. The sudden collision surprised passengers and crew. No emergency siren or announcement was made. Panic erupted. Due to the ship tilt, only three lifeboats launched. Crew failed to aid passengers leaving them to fend for themselves. The emergency generator failed leaving the ship in darkness. Many jumped into the stormy water. Some clung to each other or safety devices they managed to obtain.

No emergency distress call was made. A flare was fired which got attention in port. Nearby fishermen were alerted as well, initiating rescue operations. Tour vessels and ships from a NATO exercise also assisted. Darkness made finding survivors difficult and many floating in the water complicated the situation. Ships moved cautiously to avoid injuring survivors. Strong waves made reaching some impossible. Survivors were brought ashore and taken to the local medical facility. Bodies of those recovered were taken to a local Orthodox church which served as a temporary morgue. Some awoke the next day to learn family members with them had perished in the sinking.

News of the sinking shocked Greece. This was a well-traveled route, so it raised questions as to how it happened.

A report issued a year later answered those questions. There were seven principal reasons for the sinking. First, there was not a continuous watch on the bridge especially on autopilot. When a person arrived, it was too late to correct the situation. Second, the watertight compartment doors where routinely left unsealed by crew in violation of safety rules. Neither the captain nor other ship officers enforced it. Third, the engine room crew failed to notify the captain immediately about the water coming in. They also failed to close the compartment doors in their area to prevent flooding the ship. Fourth, there was no alarm sounded to evacuate, nor did the crew assist the passengers.  Fifth, the life buoys were not all correctly marked and missing the required safety whistles. Sixth, the ship never sent out a distress call hampering rescue operations not knowing the exact location of the sinking. Seventh, the emergency generator ceased operation as the ship was sinking causing total darkness.

Greece enacted new regulations, imposed stricter inspection schedules, and pushed ship owners to either retire their old ferries or upgrade them with new safety equipment. All ferries now have Voyage Data Recorders to monitor ship operations. Legal action was taken against several ship officers and crew including its captain. Several company representatives of Minoan Flying Dolphins also were prosecuted. The charges ranged from manslaughter to negligence. Company president Pantelis Sfinias committed suicide by leaping out of his sixth- floor office distraught over the sinking.

Today the sinking is still remembered by both survivors and rescuers. Two American passengers from Seattle, WA- 26-year-old Heidi Hart and 32-year-old Christine Shannon–would be commended for their heroism. Survivors recount how dark it was and how strong the waves and winds were. Some describe the panic aboard ship and in the water as desperate people tried frantically to keep from drowning. One rescuer recounted how hard it was to carefully maneuver in the water to rescue people, and how saddened he was when a wave swept a mother and a daughter away from him unable to save them. The people of Paros have not forgotten it either as 81 people died on their doorstep.

Sources

Elena Karanatsi, “Survivors of Ferry Wreck Recall a Horrible Night of Terror and Tragedy,” Kathimerini, September 27, 2002, https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/8810/survivors-of-ferry-wreck-recall-a-horrible-night-of-terror-and-tragedy/.

Philip Chrysopoulos, “Tragedy of ‘Samina’ Shipwreck Leaving 81 Dead, Remembered,” GreekReporter.Com, last modified January 25, 2021, accessed September 29, 2025, https://greekreporter.com/2017/09/26/tragedy-of-samina-shipwreck-leaving-81-dead-remembered/.

“Minoan Ferry Sinking Cited as Worst Maritime Disaster in 35 Years,” MarineLink, https://www.marinelink.com/news/maritime-disaster-sinking319709.

Nick Kampouris, “Samina Ferry Disaster Haunts Greece 25 Years Later – GreekReporter.com,” GreekReporter.Com, last modified September 26, 2025, https://greekreporter.com/2025/09/26/samina-ferry-sinking-greece/.

Bill Giannopoulos, “Flashback in Maritime History: Express Samina Greek Ferry Disaster, Claiming 82 Lives, 26 Sept. 2000,” Greek City Times, last modified September 9, 2023, accessed September 29, 2025, https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/09/26/flashback-in-maritime-history-express-samina-greek-ferry-disaster-claiming-82-lives-26-sept-2000/.

Allovergreece, “Wreck MS Express Samina,” Allovergreece.Com, accessed September 29, 2025, https://www.allovergreece.com/Wreck/Descr/36/en.

Wikipedia contributors, “MS Express Samina,” Wikipedia, August 3, 2025, accessed September 29, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Express_Samina.

Documentaries/Videos

Mayday: Air Disaster, “Nightmare at Sea – Terrifying Collision That Haunted the ’Express Samina’! | Mayday: Air Disaster,” Video, YouTube, December 1, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFw6rfTXH00.

Halloween, Miscellaneous, Seasons

First Autumn Sunday

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Autumn Landscape
Charles Rondeau (publicdomainpictures.net)

 

Welcome to the first Autumn Sunday.

Summer is gone, a fading memory except in places such as Death Valley where it is still very hot.

Hurricane season is revving up promising to deliver rain to the eastern seaboard of the United States. Autumn’s presence is starting to be felt in some places as leaves are starting to turn into bright colors. Seasonal produce is starting to appear-apples, artichokes, cranberries, pears, and pumpkins-along with decorations. Autumn festivals are starting to appear as well to celebrate the harvest. A major Autumn festival is Oktoberfest, an annual event that began in 1810 in Munich, Germany. Originally a royal marriage event, it has blossomed into a two-week festival the showcases agriculture, fun games and entertainment lots of food, and of course beer. Lots of beer. The Munich festival, which every major beer brewer participates, sees over 2 million gallons consumed. When Germans migrated to other countries, the festival came with them, and many cities now have the event.

Jack O’ Lanterns will start appearing as well, though many are premade until the approach of Halloween. The idea comes from Ireland and the Legend of Stingy Jack. Stingy Jack was not a nice guy as the name suggests. He bested the Devil  and made him agree not to bother him and when he died not to allow him into Hell. When he finally died, Heaven would not let him enter and the Devil, keeping his word, would not let him enter Hell. This meant Jack had to roam the world in darkness with only a lighted turnip. However, during Autumn when barriers between worlds thin, his ghostly figure might try to find a place to hang out. To prevent this, Irish (and Scots as well) carved turnips to create their own lanterns to keep Jack away. Jack of the Lantern became Jack O’ Lantern starting a unique event during the Autumn season. Carving faces in the turnips (or other vegetable that was handy) became a sign of the season.

When the Irish migrated to America, they brought this tradition with them. They discovered that a unique American squash called pumpkin was much easier to carve than a turnip. Pumpkins, normally used for decoration or their insides used for making pie, now had a new purpose. Pumpkin growers were delighted as people started copying what the Irish were doing making the Jack O’ Lantern a distinctive feature of the American Halloween season. Pumpkin carving became a fun way for families and friends to do. Schools started doing competitions and now pumpkin carving has become its own art form as well.

Photo:David Wagner(publicdomainpictures.net)

 

 

Titanic

Wednesday Titanic News

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Wendy Perez, “NEW PHASE OF TITANIC PROJECT WILL UNLOCK MORE SECRETS FROM THE DEEP,” Press release, EIN Presswire, last modified September 23, 2025, https://www.einpresswire.com/article/851755094/new-phase-of-titanic-project-will-unlock-more-secrets-from-the-deep.

Bathtub in Capt. Smith’s bathroom. Rusticles are observed growing over most of the pipes and fixtures in the room.
June 2004
Lori Johnston, RMS Titanic Expedition 2003, NOAA-OE.
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

RMS Titanic Inc. (RMST) and the Michigan nonprofit Center for Maritime & Underwater Resource Management (CMURM) are bringing together world-renowned experts to launch a new research project. Based on 40 years of expedition documentation and incorporating cutting-edge analyses, the project brings enhanced understanding of Titanic’s wrecksite and initiates a new era in stewardship. The Titanic Mapping Project, begun in 2006, aims to create the most complete picture ever of the debris field and wrecksite by analyzing clues about how the Ship separated and spilled her contents onto the ocean floor.
 
Is there much more to learn? I get they want to create better and upgraded maps of the debris field. And they want to diagram where artifacts came from aboard Titanic. But studying how the force of the water scattered its contents? Not sure that is going to yield much. We know that when the ship split in two, a lot of things went tumbling down to the sea floor. We know the stern had implosions as it went down. While I think some interesting technical data will be collected, I bet it will not change much about what we already know.

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Fatou Ferraro, “There Is the One Word You Should Never Say on a Cruise Ship – as This Tiktoker Recently Revealed,” LADbible, September 22, 2025, https://www.ladbible.com/entertainment/tiktok/wordyoushouldntsayoncruise-059364-20250819.

Photograph of iceberg taken by chief steward of Prinz Adalbert on morning of 15 April 1912 near where Titanic sank. At the time he had not learned of the Titanic disaster. Smears of red paint along the base caught his attention. The photo and accompanying statement were sent to Titanic’s lawyers, which hung in their boardroom until the firm dissolved in 2002. Public Domain

But his followers were really taken by surprise when he explained how he found out the hard way, over lunch with a room full of fellow passengers, that it’s really not cool to mention… the Titanic. “I said our ship was only about 100 feet longer than the Titanic,” he recalled. “Everyone just stopped. Like — mid-bite. Dead silence.” It turns out, Titanic is basically the Voldemort of the cruise world, a cursed word, spoken only by newbies who didn’t read the unwritten rules.

At least it did not get the fellow thrown overboard! I have heard of this rule before, but this is the first one to actually confirm it. It is the same logic airlines use to not show air disaster movies in-flight. I suppose you probably don’t want to mention the iceberg either.

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Nikos Papanikolaou, “Britannic: Artefacts Recovered From Titanic’s Sunk Sister Ship,” last modified September 16, 2025, accessed September 17, 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4wq2we4jxo.

 

HMHS Britannic seen during World War I.
Image:public domain

An 11-member team of professional deep-sea divers with closed-circuit equipment conducted the recovery, organised by British historian Simon Mills, founder of the Britannic Foundation. Among items retrieved and lifted with air bags were the ship’s lookout bell, a portside navigation lamp, binoculars, ceramic tiles from Turkish baths, and equipment from first- and second-class cabins.
 

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Ian Crump, “Titanic’s Sinking Had Profound Impact on Hampshire,” Daily Echo, September 12, 2025, https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/25399813.titanics-sinking-profound-impact-hampshire/.

Colorised photo of Ned Parfett, best known as the “Titanic paperboy”, holding a large newspaper about the sinking, standing outside the White Star Line offices at Oceanic House on Cockspur Street near Trafalgar Square in London SW1, April 16, 1912.
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Unlike Southampton, which lost entire families of crew members, Bournemouth’s connection to the disaster was through a number of notable individuals. The stories of these passengers and crew members became the face of the tragedy for the town.

Survivors
Frank Winnold Prentice, Assistant Storekeeper on Titanic. Moved to Bournemouth and resided there until death in 1982.
Eleanor Shuman
Frederick William Blennerhasset
Frank Alfred Godwin

Perished
Reverend John Harper. Minister of Richmond Hill Baptist Church. Seen assisting and praying on Titanic.
Edgar Samuel Andrew
Alfonzo Meo

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Julia Banim, “Paul Coulter Says Titanic Victims Would Have Lived if Nearby Boat Had Done One Thing,” Daily Mirror, September 11, 2025, https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/paul-coulter-says-titanic-victims-35882109.

The Titanic error, one of Coulter’s personal favourites to tell, always elicits a horrified reaction from the audience, making for a poignant moment amid the usual laughs. As explained by Coulter: “When the Titanic sank, there was another ship eight miles from that ship, called The Californian. Despite everything the Titanic did, they radioed, they Morse-lighted, they sent a rowboat out to the mystery ship – it was eight miles away – that ship did nothing to save the Titanic because the captain was asleep.

Titanic Suggested Reading

Behe, G. (2012). On board RMS Titanic: Memories of the Maiden Voyage. The History Press.

Ballard, Robert D. Exploring the Titanic. Reprint. Madison Press Books, 2014.

Ballard, Robert D., and Rick Archbold. The Discovery of the Titanic. New York, N.Y.?: Warner Books, 1987.

Ballard, Robert D., Lost Liners: From the Titanic to the Andrea Doria the Ocean Floor Reveals Its Greatest Lost Ships(Hyperion, 1998).

Brewster, H. (2013). Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage: The Titanic’s First-Class Passengers and Their World. National Geographic Books.

Eaton John P. & Haas Charles, TITANIC TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY, SECOND EDITION, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, New York, 1995 First American Edition

Fitch, Tad, J. Kent Layton, and Bill Wormstedt. On a Sea of Glass: The Life & Loss of the RMS Titanic. Reprint. Amberley Publishing, 2015.

Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)

Lord, Walter, THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)

Lynch, Don & Marshall Ken, TITANIC AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, Madison Press Books, Toronto, Ontario Canada, 1992

Marshall, L. (2019). Sinking of the Titanic: The Greatest Disaster At Sea – Special Edition with Additional Photographs. Independently Published.

Rossignol, K. (2012). Titanic 1912: The Original News Reporting of the Sinking of the Titanic. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.

Wilson, A. (2012). Shadow of the Titanic: The Extraordinary Stories of Those Who Survived. Simon and Schuster.

Titanic News Channel is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

History

Lewis & Clark Return From Epic Expedition (23 Sep 1806)

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Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
Public Domain (Wikipedia)

On September 23, 1806, amid great public excitement, the expedition of William Clark and Meriwether Lewis returned to St. Louis, Missouri. They were the first to record an overland journey from the Mississippi River to the Pacific coast and back. Setting out in May 1804, they returned with extensive knowledge of the Louisiana Purchase territory.

In 1803, under President Jefferson, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory for 3 cents per acre, totaling 828,000 square miles—one of the best land deals in history. Jefferson commissioned Lewis and Clark to explore this territory. The expedition, with about 48 men, traveled up the Missouri River in six canoes and two longboats, wintered in Dakota, and crossed into Montana, where they first saw the Rocky Mountains. They met the Shoshone Indians, who sold them horses, and journeyed through the Bitterroot Mountains, down the Clearwater and Snake rivers, reaching the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean on November 8, 1805—the first European explorers to do so overland from the east. They wintered there before returning to St. Louis in spring.

Modern map of United States showing the Louisiana Purchase of 1803
Sources: Natural Earth and Portland State University
Uploaded by William Morris to Wikimedia Commons at request of author.

Their journals recorded longitude, latitude, soil, climate, animals, plants, and native peoples, identifying new species like the grizzly bear and naming geographic locations after themselves, loved ones, friends, and their dog. Despite diseases and injuries, only one person died. Their expedition, one of the most consequential in U.S. history, helped establish U.S. territorial claims in Oregon.

Sources

Buckley and Jay H, “Lewis and Clark Expedition | Summary, History, Members, Facts, & Map,” Encyclopedia Britannica, last modified July 28, 2025, accessed September 9, 2025, https://www.britannica.com/event/Lewis-and-Clark-Expedition.

“Lewis and Clark Return to St. Louis | September 23, 1806 | HISTORY,” HISTORY, last modified May 28, 2025, accessed September 9, 2025, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/september-23/lewis-and-clark-return.

“Louisiana Purchase | Definition, Date, Cost, History, Map, States, Significance, & Facts,” Encyclopedia Britannica, last modified July 29, 2025, accessed September 9, 2025, https://www.britannica.com/event/Louisiana-Purchase.

Miscellaneous

Autumn Equinox Today

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There are two equinoxes in the year, Autumn (September) and Spring (March). When these equinoxes occur, the sun is directly on the equator, and the length of day and night is almost equal. In the Northern hemisphere, the September Equinox heralds autumn but the opposite below the equator where it heralds the beginning of spring.  Go here to see the time it begins in your area.

Solstices and Equinoxes
Image: NASA

For those of us in the North, it means a transition from summer to winter.  During this period days start getting shorter and nights longer. Depending on where you live, you will likely have moderate warm days followed by long and cooler nights. Harvests of many crops often take place during the fall and in the old days you would prepare to store food for the winter. Harvest festivals are very popular and in particular Halloween. Pumpkins begin appearing along with all kinds of Halloween decor culminating, of course, in All Hallows Eve (Halloween) on October 31.

Photo:David Wagner(publicdomainpictures.net)

For More Information

Catherine Boeckmann, “When Is the First Day of Fall? Autumnal Equinox 2025,” Almanac.Com, last modified September 8, 2025, accessed September 9, 2025, https://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-fall-autumnal-equinox.

“Autumnal Equinox | Definition, Dates, & Facts,” Encyclopedia Britannica, last modified July 12, 2025, accessed September 9, 2025, https://www.britannica.com/science/autumnal-equinox.

Ashim, “September Equinox 2025: All You Need to Know – Space &Amp; Telescope,” Space & Telescope, September 9, 2025, accessed September 9, 2025, https://spaceandtelescope.com/september-equinox-2025/.

“When Is Fall 2025 & 2026?,” accessed September 9, 2025, https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/autumnal-equinox.html.

Historic Ships, History

The Tragedy of SS Noronic (17 September 1949)

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On September 177, 1949, the SS Noronic while docked in Toronto, Canada suffered a catastrophic fire that killed at least 119 people that ended the golden era of Great Lakes passenger cruise ships.

The SS Noronic was launched in 1913 for the Canadian Steamship Company. It was built for passenger and freight service on the Great Lakes. With five decks and the capacity to hold 800 passengers and 200 crew, and 360 feet (110 meters) long, she was the largest and fastest ship on the Great Lakes when launched. And she had many luxuries that other ships did not have. She had her own ice plant, wireless telegraph, bandstands, restaurants, bars, decks lined with mahogany and lounge chairs upholstered with Spanish leather earning her the nickname Queen of the Great Lakes. With fourteen lifeboats in case of emergency, she was considered quite safe as well after the Titanic sinking. However the only entrances and exits to the ship were on the bottom E deck, a fact that would play a major role in the disaster of 1949

She began a seven-day pleasure cruise of Lake Ontario on September 14, 1949. She was carrying 524 passengers and 171 crew. Most of the passengers were American and only twenty Canadians. This voyage would be the last voyage of the season as the ship would be laid up for winter. The captain for this voyage was Wiliam Taylor. Pulling into Toronto Harbor on September 16, she docked at Pier 9 at 7 pm and was scheduled to depart the following day. Many passengers and crew, including the captain, spent the evening in Toronto. Most passengers had returned to the ship before the fire broke out. Only fifteen crew members were aboard the ship that night as many had gone ashore to be with family or friends.

Around 2:30 am (some sources say 1:30 am) passenger Don Church saw smoke on C deck and followed the smell to a locked linen closet. After finding smoke coming from it, he informed bellboy Earnest O’Neill. O’Neil did not raise alarm and instead went to the steward’s office on D deck to get the keys. Upon opening the closet, fire exploded into the hallway spreading quickly. Church ran to get his family. Meanwhile O’Neill and another bellboy along with another passenger attempted to put out the fire. Unfortunately, the fire equipment did not work. He notified Captain Taylor of the fire, and the ship’s whistle was ordered to be blown. Unfortunately, either because of the fire or some other reason, the whistle only gave one blast. By 2:38 a.m., half of the ship’s decks were ablaze and noticed by people ashore alerting the fire department. However, no ship officer or crew member called them. Additionally there was no attempt by the crew to awaken the sleeping passengers.

Donald Williamson, aged twenty-seven, was the first rescuer. He had just come off a late shift and, as a former freighter deckhand, wanted to see the Noronic. He arrived just as the whistle sounded and could see the fire was spreading. He could also see people were frantically trying to get off the ship and jumping into the water. Acting quickly, he moved a large painters’ raft to the port bow and was able to pull people from the water onto the raft. Two police constables who arrived on the scene saw the ship ablaze and encountered survivors in shock and suffering from injuries and burns. Constable Ronald Anderson stripped off his uniform and assisted Williamson on the raft. Fireboats soon arrived to help rescue people in the water. Firefighting equipment arrived at the dock along with ambulances and other police to assist survivors and put out the raging fire.

Noronic Burns
Photo by Norman James, September 17, 1949
Public Domain in US/Canada via Wikimedia Commons

Aboard ship, people were desperate to get out. Portholes were broken by either crew members or passengers to get off the ship. Since the crew had failed to awaken the passengers, most only found out something was wrong when they heard screaming and running in the corridors. With most of the stairwells on fire, few could reach E-deck to escape using the gangplanks. Panic ensued and many were trampled to death. Many used ropes to climb down or to jump into the water. Those trapped on the upper decks–some on fire–jumped to the pier below and died. Others were unable to escape their cabins as the fire consumed the ship rapidly.

Noronic fire September 17, 1949
Unknown Author
City of Toronto Archives via Wikimedia Commons
Public Domain US/Canada

Attempts to get people off by rescue ladders were not always successful. One ladder was extended to the B deck and was swamped with passengers causing it to snap in two resulting in them being rescued by a lifeboat. Other ladders to C deck were successful and held up as people were able to get off. Despite a tremendous amount of water used to fight the fire, it was quickly realized that the fire would not extinguish. The high amounts of water used though, temporarily caused the ship to list to the pier resulting in firefighters having to retreat until it corrected itself.

By 5 am, the fire had gone out and an astonishing 1.7 million gallons of water had been used by 37 hoses. The ship was cool enough by 8 am to be boarded. Firefighters and others accompanying them found gruesome scenes. The fire burned so hot that instead of corpses they found mostly skeletons with little, or no flesh left. Some were found embracing each other while others were found in their beds. Identification of the remains proved difficult and a new technique, dental forensics was used. Additionally, all the glass fittings were melted, steel fittings warped, and only the bow stairwell survived. Due to a lack records, the exact death toll is unknown, it is estimated between 119-139 may have died, Suffocation was the main cause of death for most, followed by severe burns, being trampled to death in the corridors, jumping to the pier, and one drowning. Initially it was 118 dead by one crewmember would die later from burns suffered on her body bringing the estimated death toll to 119.

Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), September 17, 1949, Library of Congress
Public Domain

The disaster was well covered in the Toronto newspapers and on the American side as well since most of the passengers were American. The question everyone wanted answered was simple: how did this happen? The answers came from the official inquiry that took place later. Investigation showed that the fire had started on the linen closet on C deck and spread rapidly when it was opened by the bellboy. What started the fire is uncertain. A report that some laundry staff were seen smoking near the linen closet led some to believe that a carelessly dropped cigarette was the cause. Interviews of the crew members did not confirm this. Canadian Steamship believed it was arson. Another one of their ships a year later would have a similar fire in a linen closet but it was contained, and no loss of life occurred. The inquiry found that several major issues contributed to how the fire spread so quickly and was so hot. The mahogany wood deck linings had been coated with lemon-oil which the flames fed upon. Additionally, the structure of the ship-as the ship decks were placed close together-spread the fire fast. Improperly maintained fire equipment and extinguishers meant little water could be used on the ship to put it out.

The crew failed to alert the passengers as most were asleep. The one blast of the ship’s whistle before it died was not enough. Many did not know how serious the situation was until they were awakened by noise in the corridors. Some of the crew just fled rather than assist. The lack of clear exit signage and what to do was another factor. Passengers had to make their way down, if they could, to E deck where two planks were available to exit the ship. The rapid movement of the fire made that difficult and later impossible leading to mass panic. Without other exits, many were simply trapped forcing them to find whatever means they could. The fact that the crew mostly abandoned the ship and never had any emergency drills brought condemnation down on both the line owner, Canadian Steamship Lines, and Captain Taylor. Taylor had his master’s license revoked for a year; he would resign before it was made active. The company was sued in court and ended up paying out over two million Canadian dollars.

New regulations were enacted by both Canada and the United States to ensure this would never happen again. Ship design was altered, and new safety regulations were put in place regarding the use of flammable materials aboard passenger ships. Many ships were taken out of service as the cost of retrofitting was too high. The days of the Great Lakes luxury cruises came to an end as a result. With fewer passengers, there was not much profit anymore. Knowing that Canadian Steamship had allowed ships to sail without properly maintained fire equipment and a crew that did nothing to help the passengers, all contributed to the demise. By late 1960’s the last of these old passenger cruise ships were retired from service never to return.

As for the Noronic, it was partially disassembled at the pier and the rest of it towed away to be scrapped. A memorial was erected in the cemetery were many were interred and a memorial plaque put up near where the disaster had occurred. It remains to this day one of the deadliest fires in Toronto history.

SS Noronic Memorial at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
Photo: Nick Number, 9 September 2024
Wikimedia Commons

 

Sources

Bipin Dimri, “The SS Noronic: Death in Toronto Harbor,” Historic Mysteries, last modified December 29, 2023, accessed September 15, 2025, https://www.historicmysteries.com/history/noronic/30544/.

By CraigBaird, “The SS Noronic Fire,” Canadian History Ehx, May 27, 2025, https://canadaehx.com/2025/05/27/the-ss-noronic-fire/.

Mike Filey, “THE WAY WE WERE: 119 Tragically Killed in SS Noronic Inferno 70 Years Ago,” Toronto Sun, last modified September 21, 2019, accessed September 15, 2025, https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/the-way-we-were-119-tragically-killed-in-ss-noronic-inferno-70-years-ago.

Brennan Doherty Staff Reporter, “September 17, 1949: S.S. Noronic Burns,” Toronto Star, September 17, 2016, https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/september-17-1949-s-s-noronic-burns/article_46ba351c-ad2f-5f3b-954e-74a54589c89f.html.

Chris Bateman, “The History of the S.S. Noronic Disaster in Toronto,” blogTO, August 8, 2020, https://www.blogto.com/city/2012/09/a_brief_history_of_the_ss_noronic_disaster/.

Ontario Heritage Trust, “Noronic Disaster, The,” Ontario Heritage Trust, last modified February 10, 2023, accessed September 15, 2025, https://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/plaques/noronic-disaster.

“Noronic Disaster Historical Plaque,” accessed September 15, 2025, https://torontoplaques.ca/Pages/Noronic_Disaster.

“Steamship Noronic Memorial (Unknown-1949) – Find A…,” accessed September 15, 2025, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10440/steamship_noronic_memorial.

Wikipedia contributors, “SS Naronic,” Wikipedia, last modified August 21, 2025, accessed September 15, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Naronic.

Titanic, historic ship, and general history news.