From thonline.com (otherwise known as Telegraph Herald):
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” drew 154,065 people to the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium during its 20-week run, which ended Oct. 11. At 5,000 square-feet, “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” was the largest exhibit ever hosted at the river museum.
Source:’Titanic’ exhibit drew 154,065 to river museum (13 Oct
2015, thonline.com)
1. The Dubuque Times Herald reports that 5,677 visitors attended the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium over the Memorial Day weekend. Normal attendance is around 3,000. Once again proving Titanic still brings them in. Pity that Premiere Exhibitions seems not to be making much money these days.
Source:River Museum Sets Memorial Day Weekend Record As ‘Titanic’ Exhibit Opens(27 May 2015,Dubuque Times Herald)
2. Andara House in Comber,Northern Ireland was once the family home of Thomas Andrews. Built in 1872 for the Andrews family, it is steeped in history. The large manor was converted into luxury apartments a few years back and one,specifically Apartment 3, is up for sale. The asking price is £189,950 (about $291,218). Its connection to Titanic naturally draws attention of the curious and serious. According to the Belfast Telegraph:
A key feature of the apartment is beautiful original mahogany panelling in the living room – formerly the billiards room -which it is believed was installed by craftsmen who worked on the Titanic.
If the pictures at Belfast Telegraph are any indication, it really is quite a nice place but the upkeep is likely not cheap.
Source:Ardara House: Apartment With Strong Titanic Links Could Be Yours For £190k(22 May 2015,Belfast Telegraph)
3. Premier Exibitions:Sorry Folks, We Are Still Not Making Great Profits
Premier Exhibitions, which owns Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition,released its fourth quarter and year 2015 results. Here is what Michael Little, the current Interim president and CEO, says about the results:
Our overall results remain disappointing, however our total revenue increased for the third consecutive quarter due to contributions from our Pompeii and King Tut exhibitions which continue to offset our lower revenue from our Titanic and Bodies brands. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015, we performed a detailed analysis of our general and administrative expenses and through reductions in headcount and other expenses reduced our normalized general and administrative expense from approximately $1.0 million per month to $750,000 per month. It should be noted this does not include the additional expenses related to the merger transaction that will continue through the third quarter of fiscal 2016. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015 we performed our annual intangible impairment testing and based upon updated projections of future projects related to our AEG acquisition in the first quarter of fiscal 2013 determined that a non-cash charge of $2.9 million was required in order to reflect the change in our assumptions. In addition, we revalued our AEG royalty which resulted in a gain of $338 thousand and wrote-off $104 thousand in development cost for projects that were cancelled during the quarter.
Whew. Did you get that? The higher revenue generating exhibitions are offsetting the lower ones andtthey generally lowered expenses. They were forced to take a non-cash charge of $2.9 million. Revised royalty income resulted in a $338 thousand gain but had to write off $184 thousand in costs. In short, we still have our shirts on but hope to afford something more fancy then beer and pretzels at our next big event.
Source:Premier Exhibitions Reports Fourth Quarter And Full Year 2015 Results(28 May 2015,Global Newswire-Press Release)
1. Final preparations for the upcoming Titanic exhibition at the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa are underway. The exhibit opens on Saturday, 23 May and runs till 7 September 2015. The exhibition has garnered a lot of attention and is expected to draw large crowds. A special opening celebration will include a special formal dinner recreating eating a meal aboard Titanic and includes actors dressed in period outfits. More information can be found at rivermuseum.com.
Source: High Hopes For Titanic’s Maiden Voyage To Dubuque(13 May 2015,Telegraph Herald)
2. The great-granddaughter of Molly Brown recently stopped by the Molly Brown House in Denver,Colorado. Helen Benzinger said she was thankful for keeping her great-grandmother’s legacy alive.
Source: Titanic Survivor’s Great-Granddaughter Visits Molly Brown House(15 May 2015,wgem.com)
3. The world’s most accurate Titanic replica is going to be permanently located at The Mariner in Marine City, Michigan starting in July 2015. The replica, which is 18 feet long and weighs 10,000 pounds was previously in St. Clair. It will be located on the old theatre stage. Further details can be found at marinertheater.net.
Source: The Mariner To Get New Life In Marine City As A Theater(12 May 2015,Port Huron Times Herald)
4.Protestors stood outside at the Bodies Revealed exhibition in Niagara Falls, Canada trying to raise awareness that the bodies being displayed came from China. One protestor said “The bodies inside, we don’t know where they come from. Chinese people, prisoners of conscience, disappear in Chinese prisons, many never come out.” Premier says on one hand the bodies are from those who died of natural causes in China but also states “Premier cannot independently verify that the human remains you are viewing are not those of persons who were incarcerated in Chinese prisons.” Which pretty much says exactly what most people suspect but of course cannot prove. If Stalin had come of with this idea, the old Soviet Union could have made a fortune peddling bodies to gullible westerners as well.
Source: Hundreds Protest ‘Bodies Revealed’ Exhibit Of Plastinated Corpses In Niagara(17 April 2015,Epoch Times)
5. There are pranks and then there are PRANKS (like Harry and Ron driving a car to Hogwarts in Chamber of Secrets). A couple decided to take some very realistic fake skeletons and place them in the Colorado River. In lawn chairs. They were placed near rocks so they would pose no harm. They were discovered by a snorkeler who notified police about the skeletons. A diver examined them and reported they were not real but caused a media sensation. The culprits decided to come forward and inform the police they were responsible. Since no one was harmed and the skeletons posed no real safety threat to anyone, no charges are forthcoming. Takes Weekend at Bernies to a whole another level.
Source: Couple From Phoenix Confess Putting Fake Skeletons In Colorado River(12 May 2015,International Business Times)
1. Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition will be at Dubuque, Iowa, National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium from 23 May-7 Sep 2014. Details are still being finalized as to admission costs. Further information can be found at their website.
Source: Titanic Exhibit Coming To Dubuque’s River Museum(25 Sep 2014,Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
2. Finding the Northwest Passage has been the dream of many explorers. At one time, some believed there was a navigable path between east and west just above Canada. In 1845 an expedition led by Captain Sir John Franklin with two ships–H.M.S. Erebus and the H.M.S. Terror–set off to traverse one of the last unnavigated sections. They were last seen in Greenland in late July, 1845 and later in Baffin Bay by whalers. After that they were never seen again. Later expeditions found relics and heard stories from the Inuit. It was learned thirty-five had died of starvation heading south. It was suspected some died of poisoning from eating from tinned cans. Darker talk of cannibalism also were said and much later confirmed by examining remains. Many of the remains confirmed that lead poisoning probably contributed to the death. Their ships though remained lost until recently when a Canadian search team appears to have found one. It is not known whether it is the Erebus or Terror that has been found. A great deal of mythology and popular storytelling has grown up around this ill-fated expedition. Perhaps this find will lay some of them too rest.
Sources:
1. The Franklin Ship Myth, Verified(24 Sep 2014,The New Yorker)
2. Franklin’s Lost Expedition (Wikipedia)
