100 Years Later

My favourite historical event is the sinking of the Titanic that happened 100 years ago as of this morning. I have heard the sinking described as t most fantastical, dramatic story you could ever think of that actually happened. There are so many elements involved in the story that still fascinate the world even a century later. I have read hundreds of books on the Titanic and the human stories move me every time. Now I do have a point to this fan girl gushing and it is that in tragedies like the sinking of the unsinkable ship the nature of the human spirit really comes out. I love reading books and watching movies that show the different reactions of the people on the Titanic on that fateful Sunday night whether they be like Benjamin Guggenheim who “dressed in his best and was prepared to go down like a gentleman” or J. Bruce Ismay, the owner of the White Star Line who bailed in a life boat and regretted his decision for the rest of his life. There were also people like Ida and Isador Straus who refused to be separated after several years of marriage. All of these stories make me wonder what I would do in a situation like this- what reaction would I have in such a tragic situation. It makes me a little bit sick to even think about it because I do not know what I would do. Even though the Titanic was a terrible tragedy where over 1500 people lost their lives there was some good that came out of it- changing maritime law to make sure that there are enough lifeboats for everyone, and breaking down social barriers from the Edwardian era between first, second, and third class. This may seem completely irrelevant to this blog but I just felt like it had to be celebrated- or at least remembered.