Easter Orthodox Christmas Day (7 January)

January 7, 2026 Mark Taylor Leave a comment

Titanic News Channel Wishes All Our Friends In Eastern Orthodox a Joyous and Blessed Christmas Day!

The Adoration of the Shepherds (Gerard van Honthorst 1590–1656)
Image: Public Domain (Wikipedia)

Why Does Eastern Orthodox Celebrate Christmas on January 7?

Eastern Orthodox follows the Julian calendar for their liturgical year. The Gregorian calendar, named for Pope Gregory XIII, was proclaimed in a Papal Bull in 1582. Its full implementation took 300 years owing to many countries not wanting to adopt a calendar proclaimed by a pope. Most Catholic countries quickly adopted while others adopted it later as the calendar was accurate and corrected the problems of the Julian. While dislike of the Catholic church was a reason in some cases, there were other reasons such governments being slow to act as well as local customs and traditions that had to be overcome. Adopting the new calendar required a major change, namely setting the calendar forward 13 days. That was a major feat implementing the change in many countries. The tradeoff though was clear. The newer calendar was more accurate so that you no longer had to make manual calculations to adjust for solstices, equinoxes, and other events under the old calendar. Those problems were now gone.

For Eastern Orthodox, the issue was not the accuracy of the new calendar but with the Papal Bull itself that had things in it they did not agree with and thus rejected it. The Congress of Constantinople (1923) created a Revised Julian Calendar that synchronized with the Gregorian on everything except Easter. This was accepted by Orthodox Churches in Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Greece, Cyprus, Romania, Poland, and Bulgaria. It was rejected by Orthodox churches in Jerusalem, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, and Georgia. Due to the split, the date for Easter is different between the two since the Revised Julian Calendar uses a different formula that the other churches rejected. That is why Christmas is celebrated by Greek Orthodox Church on December 25 but Russian Orthodox on January 7. The last country to adopt the Gregorian calendar was Saudi Arabia in 2016.

Sources

Christmas Worldwide. “Eastern Orthodox Christmas: Celebrations in Russia, Greece, and Ukraine – Christmas Worldwide.” Christmas Worldwide. Last modified January 18, 2025. Accessed January 6, 2026. https://christmases.net/eastern-orthodox-christmas-celebrations-in-russia-greece-and-ukraine/.

“A Papal Calendar?” Orthodox Church in America. Last modified January 3, 2017. Accessed January 6, 2026. https://www.oca.org/reflections/fr.-lawrence-farley/a-papal-calendar.

Wikipedia contributors. “List of Adoption Dates of the Gregorian Calendar by Country.” Wikipedia. Last modified October 23, 2025. Accessed January 6, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_adoption_dates_of_the_Gregorian_calendar_by_country

History, Holidays, Religion

Epiphany Sunday (Three Kings Day)

January 4, 2026 Mark Taylor Leave a comment

Wise Men Adoration
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo ((1617–1682)
Toledo Museum of Art
Public Domain

We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage. (Matthew 2:2)

Epiphany Sunday is observed by most Christian denominations as a day in which Jesus is revealed to the world when the Magi arrive. It was practiced before Christmas was formally observed by the church.

In the early days, Christians set aside one day a week as the Lord’s Day which became Sunday. By the second century, Lent, Easter and the Pentecost were established as well. And by the third century, Epiphany was observed to celebrate Jesus’ birth, his baptism, the arrival of the Magi, and the miracle at Cana. Once Advent and Christmas began to be formally celebrated in the fourth century, Advent was the preparation for the birth, Christmas celebrated as the savior’s birth, and Epiphany was the day in which he was manifested to the world with arrival of the Magi and also his baptism and first miracle in Cana. Catholic Eastern Rite and Eastern Orthodox celebrate the day as when Jesus’ divinity was revealed at his baptism on the River Jordan (called Theophany). Not all Protestant denominations follow this observance such as the Anabaptists (Amish, Mennonite and others). In the Catholic church, the Sunday after Epiphany is celebrated as the Baptism of Jesus and his first miracle.

Adoration of the Magi
El Greco (1541–1614)
Museo Soumaya at Plaza Carso
Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The traditional date is January 6 and is twelve days after the birth of Jesus. It also marked the end of the Christmas season with this important holiday. The day before was usually the day to take down Christmas decorations and the day itself had its own traditions and feasts. Marking your front door by writing the names of the wise men with chalk became popular. Special cakes and processions took place as well such as Dia de los Reyes. Children would often get gifts and candy. In Italy, La Befana, the Christmas Witch, delivers gifts during the night for children. France has a special cake, Galette des Rois, with the figure of baby Jesus inside it to be found by a lucky person. And many Spanish speaking countries (and localities) have Los Reyes Magos festivities and gifts for kids as well. So, the day is a festive one for many people. And a nice way to wind down the Christmas season. These traditions and celebrations continue to this day.

However, in the United States and several European countries, the liturgical observation is no longer on January 6. One of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council allowed for the episcopal conference in each nation to request to move certain holy days of obligation to the nearest Sunday. Since it was hard to for people to attend mass during the week due to work, school, or travel, moving it to the nearest Sunday between January 2-8 seemed the best way to make sure people attended the mass. It is important to note that this was a pastoral not liturgical change. Both the historical and universal date remains unchanged.

Sources

“The History of the Epiphany: Here’s What You Need to Know – EWTN Great Britain.” https://ewtn.co.uk/article-the-history-of-the-epiphany-heres-what-you-need-to-know/.

“Why The United States Celebrates Epiphany on Sunday Instead of January 6 – Catholic Online News.” Last modified January 2, 2026. https://catholiconline.news/faith/why-the-united-states-celebrates-epiphany-on-sunday-instead-of-january-6/.

“8 Wonderful International Ways to Celebrate the Epiphany.” The Writings of Cora Evans. https://www.coraevans.com/blog/article/8-wonderful-international-ways-to-celebrate-the-epiphany.

Correale, Marta. “La Befana: All You Need to Know About Italy’s Most Beloved Witch (With Coloring Sheet for Kids) | Mama.” Mama Loves Italy, December 16, 2024. Accessed January 4, 2026. https://mamalovesitaly.com/la-befana-italy-christmas-witch/.

Manzanares, Mariana. “7 Curious Epiphany and Three Kings’ Day Traditions Around the World – Catholic Mass Times.” Horarios de Misa, December 30, 2025. https://catholicmasstimes.com/7-curious-epiphany-and-three-kings-day-traditions-around-the-world/.

Roos, Dave. “What Is the Christian Holiday of Epiphany?” HISTORY. Last modified December 19, 2025. https://www.history.com/articles/epiphany-three-kings-day.

Suggested Reading

dePaola, Tomie. The Story of the Three Wise Kings. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2020.

Longenecker, Dwight, Mystery of the Magi: The Quest to Identify the Three Wise Men, Hardcover. (Regenery, 2021).

Harrington, Paul. Epiphany: The Untold Epic Journey of the Magi. Booksurge Publishing, 2009.

Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives (National Geographic Books, 2012).

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.

Titanic

Titanic News for the New Year

January 1, 2026 Mark Taylor Leave a comment

Lee, Sue. “‘They Called Him the Coward of the Titanic but I Can Tell You the Real Story.’” Liverpool Echo, December 30, 2025. https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/they-called-him-coward-titanic-33110286.

It was other people’s reactions to his surname which later set him off on a quest for the truth about what really happened the night the magnificent ocean liner sank on her maiden voyage with the loss of 1,500 passengers and crew. “I used to meet people, on a business or social level, introduce myself and they’d often ask me: ‘Are you related to the coward of the Titanic?’ ” That’s how he’s been portrayed down the years in films and books – as a villain – but I wanted to know the truth,” says Cliff, who has written a book on his ancestor. “I don’t think he was a hero but he was no coward either. During my own research I found he was responsible for actually saving lives as he patrolled the boat deck boats, both starboard and port sides, encouraging women and children to get into the lifeboats.

Davies, Hannah J. “Titanic Sinks Tonight Review – It’s Like You’re Reliving That Terrifying Night.” The Guardian, December 28, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/dec/28/titanic-sinks-tonight-review-its-like-youre-reliving-that-terrifying-night.

Titanic Sinks Tonight is a part-documentary, part-drama series playing across four nights, its episodes constructed from letters and diaries written by those on board, as well as interviews the survivors would give in the decades after. On the strength of the two episodes released for review, there’s no denying that it sates our appetite for Titanic-themed content. However, in centring the words and memories of those who lived through the terror of that night, it restores much-needed agency to those people. It also does well to bring a sense of reality to events that can sometimes feel unreal on account of their ubiquity, and that uncanny valley of Titanic-themed media. Central to its success is the presence of experts such as historian Suzannah Lipscomb and former Royal Navy admiral Lord West, to sharpen the corners of the story that Hollywood has sanded down.

Lloyd, Howard. “The Man From Cornwall Who Was at Titanic’s Wheel When Disaster Struck.” Cornwall Live, December 22, 2025. https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/man-cornwall-who-titanics-wheel-10719329.

When Robert Hichens, the quartermaster, took over the helm of RMS Titanic at 10pm on 14 April 1912, he had no inkling that in a few hours, he would be at the heart of one of the most catastrophic maritime disasters in history. Less than two hours into his shift, the 29 year old found himself wrestling with the wheel of the colossal ocean liner as it desperately tried to evade an iceberg in the icy North Atlantic. Hichens’ legacy has been marred by controversy. Post the sinking, he faced accusations ranging from steering in the wrong direction to avoid the iceberg, to being intoxicated in his lifeboat. He also declined to return to the site of the sinking to search for survivors – despite his lifeboat only being half-full – and later served time in prison for attempted murder.

Welcome to January

January 1, 2026 Mark Taylor Leave a comment

Photo of Head of Janus
Vatican Museum, Rome
Source: Loudon Dodd (via Wikimedia)

January is the first month on the Gregorian and the Julian calendar. It is named after the Roman god of doors, Janus, as this month is a doorway into the new year. Janus is an interesting Roman god as he is two-faced. Thus, he can see both the future and the past. In January, you can see the previous year and view the upcoming one. The old Roman calendar ended in December and did not start up till March. This was changed later with the addition of January to replace March but was made official when the Julian calendar was adopted in 8 BC. The new Julian calendar used the solar cycle rather than the lunar making it more accurate. Unfortunately, its creator Sosigenes, an Alexandrian astronomer who helped create the Egyptian solar calendar, made a small mathematical error of 11 minutes and 14 seconds. Small but significant as the calendar started going out of sync with the solar cycle over time making it hard to use for holy days that required a precise measurement in order to be done at the correct date and time.

Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry Folio 1, verso: January
Part of Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry by Limbourg brothers (fl. 1402–1416)
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

This became apparent by the Middle Ages and calls for it to be resolved became more urgent. It was no longer minutes but by then 10 days. This would ultimately result in the Gregorian Calendar (named for Pope Gregory XIII) that was adopted in 1548 by the Catholic church and the Papal States. This resolved the major problem regarding the scheduling of Easter. Since however this was a civic reform, it was up to each nation to decide whether to implement or not. It would gradually be adopted by many countries. Spain was the first to switch over and that included much of Roman Catholic Europe. Protestant countries were not keen on changing right away since the reform was made by the Catholic Church. The British would adopt it 1750 but by a method to avoid saying it was from the Catholic Church. Sweden adopted in 1753. Turkey would switch to using the fiscal year as Gregorian in 1917 and then for the entire calendar in 1926. Russia, under the Communist government, changed in 1918. Greece would change in 1923. Saudi Arabia would formally adopt it in 2016. The change between calendars was startling at first. You might be in November and suddenly thirteen days back in October!

Eastern Orthodox denominations decided for religious purposes to use the Julian rather than Gregorian for their liturgical year (separate from the civic calendar). Which is why in countries like Greece or Russia the celebration of Christmas and Easter is currently 13 days after it is celebrated elsewhere.

Sources

Boeckmann, Catherine. “The Month of January 2026: Holidays, Fun Facts, Folklore.” Almanac.Com. Last modified December 9, 2025. https://www.almanac.com/content/month-january-holidays-facts-folklore.

Tikkanen, Amy. “Why Does the New Year Start on January 1?” Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed December 31, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/story/why-does-the-new-year-start-on-january-1.

“The Month of January.” https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/months/january.html

Holidays

Happy New Year!

December 31, 2025 Mark Taylor Leave a comment

TITANIC NEWS CHANNEL WISHES EVERYONE A HAPPY NEW YEAR. MAY YOUR NEW YEAR BE BLESSED AND FULL OF JOY.

Happy New Year (publicdomainpictures.net)
Photo: Larisa Koshkina

History, Religion

Remembering Thomas Becket, Saint and Martyr (29 Dec 1170)

December 29, 2025 Mark Taylor Leave a comment

Earliest known portrayal of Thomas Becket’s murder in Canterbury Cathedral.
circa 1200
PD-US-expired, PD-UK and other countries where authors life and set years have expired.
Source: British Library via Wikimedia Commons

On December 29 1170, Thomas Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in front of the altar by four knights in Canterbury Cathedral.

Becket had been a successful chancellor for King Henry II and had helped him consolidate his power even if went against the church. Well liked and respected, Becket served the king well earning his complete trust. When the Archbishop of Canterbury died, King Henry decided to put Becket in that spot so he could have more control of the church. Appointing him in 1162, he expected Becket to faithfully continue what Henry wanted. Except that is not what happened at all,

Becket though underwent a transformation and switched his allegiance to the church. He adopted an ascetic lifestyle and lived humbly despite being in the most powerful bishopric in England. King Henry and Becket starting clashing over many issues. Finally when the king demanded Becket sign the Constitutions of Clarendon in 1164 to extend his control over the church, Becket refused and left England and went to France. He returned in 1170 after a reconciliation had been worked out. Two bishops who had sided with Henry had been excommunicated refused to rejoin unless they supported the church over Henry. The bishops complained to Henry, who was in France at the time, who uttered words that suggested he wanted him dead. Four knights took this as an order and sailed to England.

There they murdered Becket on the altar stairs just as evening mass was starting. This shocking event caused outrage and horror. King Henry went on a 40 day fast. Pope Alexander III proclaimed him a saint two years later. King Henry II walked barefoot to his tomb as penance and was forgiven by the church. His tomb became a popular spot for pilgrims to visit until King Henry VIII destroyed it. When he was reburied in the new tomb that was subsequently destroyed, many of his bones were sent to other churches as relics. They were returned in 2016 to the cathedral in which he died in.

His feast day of December 29 is celebrated on both Anglican and Catholic calendars. He is the saint of secular clergy.

What Happened to the Four Knights who killed Becket?

The four knights-Reginald FitzUrse, Hugh de Morville, William de Tracy, and Richard le Breton- heard King Henry II utter words they interpreted as meaning he wanted Becket dead. After killing Becket,. the assassins fled north to de Morville’s castle and stayed there about a year. He owned property in Cumbria and this have been used as well. They may have been preparing to go into Scotland as well. King Henry II did not confiscate their lands and let the church deal with them. Pope Alexander excommunicated all four which for all intents and purposes meant they were unwelcome anywhere in Christian Europe.

The knights appealed to King Henry for help; he declined. Deciding to seek penance for their actions, the four knights went to Rome and met with Pope Alexander. He accepted their contrition and as penance ordered them to serve 14 years as knights in the Holy Lands. This inspired the creation of the Knights of St. Thomas, a purely all English order of knights that would serve in the Holy Land. After internal disputes much later (and the loss of the Holy Lands), the order focused on charitable work and ran a school. It was dissolved in 1538 by King Henry VIII as part of his order dissolving all religious orders in England.

Sources:

Knowles, Michael David. “St. Thomas Becket.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Last modified December 25, 2025. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Thomas-Becket.

“Archbishop Thomas Becket Is Murdered | December 29, 1170 | HISTORY.” HISTORY. Last modified May 27, 2025. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/december-29/the-making-of-an-english-martyr.

“Who Was Thomas Becket?” The Becket Story. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://www.thebecketstory.org.uk/pilgrimage/st-thomas-becket.

———. “St. Thomas Becket – Saints & Angels – Catholic Online.” Catholic Online. https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=12.

[This was updated for 2025 with sources and spelling/punctuation corrections.]

Christmas, Religion

Saint Stephen’s Day/Boxing Day UK (26 December)

December 26, 2025 Mark Taylor Leave a comment

Saint Stephen by Carlo Crivelli (1476)
Source: National Gallery, London via Wikimedia Commons.
Public Domain in UK and US; may be restricted in other countries.

If you remember the Christmas carol Good King Wenceslas , you heard the name. Stephen was a deacon in the early Christian church who was accused of blasphemy and put on trial by Jewish authorities in Jerusalem. After a trial in which he denounced them, Stephen was stoned to death. One of the witnesses to the event was Saul of Tarsus, who later converted and is known today as the apostle Saint Paul. Stephen is considered the first martyr for the faith, the reason his feast day immediately follows the celebration of Jesus birth. All the major Christian congregations–Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox–all venerate him as a Saint and celebrate the feast day (Western churches on 26 December, 27 Dec Orthodox, and 8 Jan Oriental Orthodox). In some countries (mainly Western Europe) it is a public holiday.

In the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand it is celebrated as Boxing Day, a secular holiday that falls on the same day as Feast of Stephen. Traditionally it is the day in which servants and tradespeople receive the “Christmas box” from their employers. While that tradition may still hold true, it is either a second Christmas day for some or an extra shopping day (though in some countries it apparently is a day when a lot of returns to retailers takes place). It is also a major sports day as well.

If you are in Italy, it is treated like a second Christmas Day but with a difference. Christmas Day is home with family and streets are mostly empty (and nearly everything is closed except for some restaurants and parafarmacies (pharmacies). December 26th is il giorno di Santo Stefano and a major day for Italians. They go out to eat at restaurants with family and friends. The streets are teeming with people often to see the Presepe (Nativity scene) in their local church or perhaps to see many of them in different churches. Donations to the church usually are made as well. Processions to Santo Stefano take place in many cities and towns. And there are many local traditions as well. Also many seek out the living Nativity scenes as well.

Sources

“St. Stephen.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Last modified December 17, 2025. Accessed December 26, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Stephen.

“Boxing Day.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Last modified December 26, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Boxing-Day.

“CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Stephen.” https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14286b.htm.

Leake, Mike. “Who Was Stephen in the Bible?” Christianity.Com. Last modified September 22, 2025. https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-is-the-significance-of-the-stoning-of-stephen.html.

Christmas, Holidays, Religion

Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2025 Mark Taylor Leave a comment

Titanic News Channel wishes everyone a blessed and joyous Christmas Day. Merry Christmas!

….And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!” (Dickens, A Christmas Carol)

Christmas

Christmas Eve

December 24, 2025 Mark Taylor Leave a comment

Vintage Christmas Fireplace
Petr Kratochvil
publicdomainpictures.net

Silent Night (Stille Nacht in German, Silens Nox in Latin) is perhaps the most beloved Christmas Carol. It was composed in 1818 by Franz Guber, an organist and schoolmaster, to lyrics by Father Joseph Mohr of the St. Nicholas parish in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was first performed on Christmas Eve in 1818 and since the organ was broken, the only musical accompaniment was the guitar. The popularity of the song spread and the version commonly used today comes from a translation in 1859. John Freeman Young, serving as an Episcopal priest at Trinity Church in New York City, translated and changed the tempo of the song. The original rendition by Gruber was more like a dance tune and sung faster. Young made into a slower lullaby style that is the most common version today. Because it has been so widely translated, it is the one Christmas carol that is known worldwide. In Austria it is not played on radio until Christmas Eve,

A Visit from St. Nicholas
by Clement Clark Moore

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds;
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a lustre of midday to objects below,
When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer,
With a little old driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”
As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the housetop the coursers they flew
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too—
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack.
His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight—

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Titanic

Titanic News for the Christmas Holiday

December 23, 2025 Mark Taylor Leave a comment

Christmas is coming,
The geese are getting fat,
Please put a penny
In the old man’s hat.

If you haven’t got a penny,
A ha’penny will do,
If you haven’t got a ha’penny,
Then God bless you!
(19th Century British nursery rhyme)

Christmas is almost here! Here are some Titanic news stories for the Christmas holiday.

Whittingham, Stewart. “Titanic Hero Who Kept the Lights on as Doomed Liner Sank.” Last modified December 22, 2025. Accessed December 23, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93nyz9k0l2o.

He was given the ominous task of keeping the lights on and the lifeboats working as the doomed Titanic began to sink. Wigan electrician William Parr bravely kept working in the engine room even as the liner broke in two in April 1912, after it had hit an iceberg. Parr’s little-known story can now be told after Titanic enthusiast Caroline Heaven uncovered details of his last moments alive. Mrs. Heaven, a retired nurse, found a letter by an engine room worker who told the electrician’s family that he was seen still working below deck to keep the generators working moments before the Titanic sank.

Morvai, Bence. “The Tragedy of the Titanic: Where Exactly Did the Famous Ocean Liner Sink?” DailyNewsHungary, December 19, 2025. https://dailynewshungary.com/tragedy-of-the-titanic/.

For decades, many imagined that the tragedy of the Titanic happened somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, far from any land. In reality, the location is far more astonishing. The accident occurred roughly 640 kilometres from Newfoundland, in the eastern Canadian province, meaning the ship was already relatively close to North America, having completed a significant portion of its journey – over 3,200 kilometres across the ocean. That the ship was so close to America has only become widely recognised in recent years, with maps showing the precise location of the wreck becoming more accessible to the public.

Bloodworth, Adam. “Why People Are Flocking to Experience the Titanic Disaster.” Last modified December 19, 2025. Accessed December 23, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20251217-why-people-are-flocking-to-experience-the-titanic.

The multiple VR segments, which allow you to stride along the deck in the sunshine and wander through the boat’s opulent interiors, as well as venture in a submersible to the wreck, are genuinely transportative. But the aforementioned part of the experience in which you are surrounded by 360-degree video projections of the ship filling up with water, feels distasteful, and more voyeuristic than educational or emotional. There’s certainly a big audience wanting to set sail: more than 45,000 people have donned a headset to experience Echoes of the Past since it opened in February, organisers tell the BBC. But some say these immersive experiences specifically centred on disasters are exploitative because they turn real-life historical tragedy into entertainment.

Thompson, Holly. “‘A Story That Unites Generations’: Why Do Titanic Artefacts Draw Crowds Halfway Across the World?” WAtoday, December 13, 2025. https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/a-story-that-unites-generations-why-do-titanic-artefacts-draw-crowds-halfway-across-the-world-20251210-p5nmhr.html.

If you ask anyone across the world to name a ship, including children, almost all of them would say the Titanic. That is a statement Swedish historian Claes-Goran Wetterholm makes with pride. Wetterholm says it’s the human element of the 1912 disaster – the stories of those on board and their families – that keeps people’s attention. He has dedicated his entire life to studying the Titanic, spending time in archives, reaching out to shipyards, and writing to authors and newspapers starting from when he was a teenager back in the 1960s. “It’s really the drive behind everything, to meet people, to talk to people – stories keep coming up all the time,” he said. “You come to know people, and then you have a connection with other Titanic buffs – it connects people all around the world.”

Titanic News Channel Wishes All Our Friends In Eastern Orthodox a Joyous and Blessed Christmas Day!

We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage. (Matthew 2:2)

TITANIC NEWS CHANNEL WISHES EVERYONE A HAPPY NEW YEAR. MAY YOUR NEW YEAR BE BLESSED AND FULL OF JOY.

Titanic News Channel wishes everyone a blessed and joyous Christmas Day. Merry Christmas!

….And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!” (Dickens, A Christmas Carol)

A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clark Moore

Titanic, historic ship, and general history news.

A Visit from St. Nicholas
by Clement Clark Moore