Monthly Archives: January 2019

Titanic

Titanic News Roundup

RMS Titanic beginning sea trials, April 2, 1912.
Public Domain (National Archives and Records Administration,ARC Identifier#306 RG 306)

Sorry folks for not posting for quite a while. I got distracted due to a very bad cold that lingered far too long! At any rate I have culled through my news feeds and found the following topical stories. I suppose the big news (sort of) is that Clive Palmer has resurrected Titanic II and seems intent to actually see it through. Doubts linger though on that one.

Titanic BOMBSHELL: Was Ship’s Captain DRUNK Before Iceberg Collision? (Sunday Express, 23 Jan 2019)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/1076694/titanic-bombshell-captain-edward-smith-drunk-iceberg-letter-spt

Deltamarin’s Further Involvement In Titanic II Project Confirmed (Hellenic Ship News, 18 Jan 2019)

Deltamarin’s Further Involvement In Titanic II Project Confirmed

Sinking Titanic Model Wows At Touring Lego Exhibition (Stuff, 17 Jan 2019)
https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/109934781/sinking-titanic-model-wows-at-touring-lego-exhibition

Titanic Artifact Exhibit Leaves Richmond (CityNews, 14 Jan 2019
https://www.citynews1130.com/2019/01/12/titanic-artifact-exhibit-leaves-richmond/

Why The Titanic Is Disappearing (AOL, 13 Jan 2019)
https://www.aol.co.uk/news/2019/01/13/why-the-titanic-is-disappearing/

Antiques Roadshow: ‘Oh my God!’ Shock as STAGGERING Valuation For Titanic Jewel Revealed (Express, 13 Jan 2019)
https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1071507/Antiques-Roadshow-Titanic-emerald-ring-valuation-BBC-video-watch

Richmond Businessman Steers New Course For Titanic Exhibitions (Richmond News, 9 Jan 2019)
https://www.richmond-news.com/business/richmond-businessman-steers-new-course-for-titanic-exhibitions-1.23588371

Submarine Trip To The Titanic Booking Soon — For Those With Deep Pockets (dw.com, 9 Jan 2019)
https://www.dw.com/en/submarine-trip-to-the-titanic-booking-soon-for-those-with-deep-pockets/a-47001755

There’s Going To Be A Titanic-Themed Murder Mystery Event In Edinburgh On Valentine’s Day Weekend (edinburghlive, 7 Jan 2019)
https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/best-in-edinburgh/whats-on-news/theres-going-titanic-themed-murder-15640638

‘Titanic’ Exhibit Closing Successful Waco Run At Mayborn Museum On Sunday (Waco Tribune Herald, 4 Jan 2019)
https://www.wacotrib.com/news/downtown_waco/titanic-exhibit-closing-successful-waco-run-at-mayborn-museum-on/article_453d1cfe-aa7d-5c06-8c10-33d4a0c6d31a.html

Oxford Hotel Completes ‘Titanic’ Redesign Of Ballroom (citimagazine.com, 2 Jan 2019)
https://www.citmagazine.com/article/1521896/oxford-hotel-completes-titanic-redesign-ballroom

Holidays, Miscellaneous

Today is twelfth night

The King cake is a tradition of many Twelfth Night feasts.
Photo: public domain

Traditionally there are 12 days of Christmas beginning on Christmas Day (December 25) and ending on Epiphany Day (Little Christmas/Three Kings or Wise Men Day) on January 6. Customs vary by country but almost always there are special activities, foods, and in opening of presents as well.

The celebration of Twelfth Night came about in medieval and Tudor England when Candlemas originally ended the Christmas season. A special cake was prepared with a bean and pea hidden inside. The man who found the pea in his slice of cake became king for the night while the woman who found a pea became Queen for the night. Christmas carols and feasting would also take place. A special punch for Christmas, wassail, was often drunk on that night but also during the entire season as well.

Since Twelfth Night is about the impending arrival of the Three Kings, the statues of them would appear in the crib or the following day in countries such as Ireland. Christmas decorations would start to be taken down as well and certainly by the end of Epiphany Day. Edible portions of wreaths (fruits or nuts) would be consumed as part of a feast as well. The famous Shakespeare play Twelfth Night was written as entertainment for the holiday.

Twelfth Night is considered secular by Christian denominations and not a required day of observance. The following day, Epiphany Day, is a solemnity and observed by attendance in church.


Titanic

Titanic news to Start the new year

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year celebration. To get the year off, here is some Titanic news for your consideration.

Shutterstock

The Titanic’s Forgotten Sister (Forbes, 1 Jan 2019)
Olympic’s story illustrates an important lesson that technologies generally evolve gradually and not in sudden spurts. As Henry Petroski reminds us, engineers learn from failure and innovate to avoid making mistakes in the future. From the sinking of the Titanic, naval architects learned how to properly design watertight compartments, company managers realized the business value in having fancier staterooms and of course, everyone saw the necessity of having more lifeboats, safety drills and radio communications. Olympic, in large measure, was only able to have a long and successful career because her owners and captains had learned from the loss of her younger sister.
Source:https://www.forbes.com/sites/berniecarlson/2019/01/01/the-titanics-forgotten-sister/#3e3bad942706

Book Your Place For The Last Chance To See The Titanic Shipwreck (Forbes, 31 Dec 2018)
And now, more than a century after her sinking, the Titanic is about to welcome new guests courtesy of OceanGate’s Titanic Survey Expedition, conducting six missions to the wreck between June and August 2019 in its appropriately named Titan submersible. And while such expeditions are usually reserved for experts and researchers, OceanGate has opened up its invitation to regular citizen explorers like you and me.
Source:https://www.forbes.com/sites/duncanmadden/2018/12/31/book-your-place-for-the-last-chance-to-see-the-titanic-shipwreck/#20eaee4537ca

‘Night to Remember’ featured Titanic survivor from Alabama (AdvanceLocal-Alabama,21 Dec 2018)
As the ship slipped under, Gracie jumped into the frigid water, eventually managing to cling to an overturned collapsible lifeboat until he was rescued and taken aboard the Carpathia. He was traumatized and injured, however; his body covered with cuts and bruised. He never fully recovered from the ordeal and died in Dec. 4, 1912. Before he died, he completed a rough manuscript of a book of his experiences called “The Truth about the Titanic.” It was published in 1913.Gracie IV is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in New York. His headstone is etched with the words “Hero of the S.S. Titanic.”
Source:https://www.al.com/alabama/2018/12/night-to-remember-featured-titanic-survivor-from-alabama.html

https://youtu.be/iJ-ZU1QBkHY