The Fascination With Titanic

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A replica of the Titanic grand staircase

Why are we so fascinated by The RMS Titanic? Maybe the better question is, why am I so fascinated by The Titanic.  It started for me as a child.  I remember watching PBS programs that interviewed survivors of the sinking and sometimes family members.  What touched me as I listened to their stories was, they were regular people.  They reminded me of my mother, grandmother, and other family.   What also touched me was the way the people of different classes were separated.  I understood what it meant to be treated a certain way because you fall into a certain economic group.  The Titanic is a microcosm of the world in 1912.  It represented the wealth of the richest individuals and how they could afford the luxury on land and at sea.  It represents the up-and-coming middle class which could afford little luxuries and a better standard of living.  And then there were the steerage passengers (3rd class).  Many of them were going to America at the chance for a better life for them and their children.  I identified with the steerage passengers the most.  I understood what it felt like to want a different type of life.  Many of the people that died the night the Titanic sank were steerage passengers-men, women and children. 

When you look at the list of people that perished on April 15, 1912, it’s not one class of passengers that are on that list.  The list includes people from each group.  That list includes one of the richest people, Mr. John Jacob Astor to the youngest known to have died, Sidney Leslie Goodwin. 

My fascination with Titanic history has grown as I learn more about it.  The more I learn about the lives of the people that survived and how they handled the tragedy, it gives me strength for the things I deal with in life.  It seems my fascination and hopefully yours will keep the story of the Titanic alive for ages to come.