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Surviving The Titanic

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A century on, we’ll look at the sinking of the Titanic and the life stories of its survivors.

The Titanic's propellers. (Library of Congress)
The Titanic's propellers. (Library of Congress)

In 1912, on its maiden voyage, the super-ship Titanic sailed from Southampton with 800 bundles of asparagus on board.  Eight thousand cigars.  Forty thousand fresh eggs.  Forty thousand sausages.  And more than two thousand passengers.

More than 1500 would die when the great ship went down in the North Atlantic, one hundred years ago this weekend.  705 survived.  How they survived, and how they lived with the memories of that night, that sinking, is an epic story in itself.

This hour, On Point:  the sinking of the Titanic and the life stories of its survivors.
-Tom Ashbrook

Guests

Andrew Wilson, author of "Shadow of the Titanic: The Extraordinary Stories of those Who Survived."

James Delgado, director of maritime heritage at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. Chief Scientist of 2010 Titanic mapping expedition, he also dove to the Titanic wreck in 2001.

Orian Greene, descendant of Titanic survivors Clara Hays, her great-grandmother, and Orian Davidson, a great aunt.

Tim Maltin, author of "Titanic: A very Deceiving Night"

From Tom's Reading List

National Geographic The wreck sleeps in darkness, a puzzlement of corroded steel strewn across a thousand acres of the North Atlantic seabed. Fungi feed on it. Weird colorless life-forms, unfazed by the crushing pressure, prowl its jagged ramparts.

The New Yorker In the early nineteen-seventies, my Uncle Walter, who wasn’t a “real” uncle but had a better intuition about my hobbies and interests than some of my blood relatives did, gave me a thrilling gift: membership in the Titanic Enthusiasts of America.

Library Journal April 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the tragic sinking of Titanic. Below, LJ reviewer Megan Hahn Fraser interviews British author Andrew Wilson, whose bookShadow of the Titanic earned a starred review (“a captivating read that begins where most otherTitanic books end”).

Yahoo News April 15, 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Here are 10 things you may not know about the luxury ship, which sank on its maiden voyage from Southampton England to the United States.

Titanic Photos

This program aired on April 10, 2012.

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