7.2, 7.3

7.2

It took three years to build, and less than three hours to sink. The Titanic is perhaps the most famous shipwreck in history.  

It was the biggest and most luxurious ship of its time. And it set sail just once, from England to New York, on April 10, 1912. The ship weighed a record-breaking 46,000 tons and took about 15,000 workers to build. Surprisingly, it had the best safety features at the time. A popular magazine called it “practically unsinkable.” People believed the ship could not sink. 

Because of this, there were no safety drills, and the crew did not tell passengers where to go or which lifeboats to board in an emergency. There weren't even enough lifeboats to begin with. There were only 20—enough for just half the ship’s passengers. Bruce Ismay, the owner, felt that 48 lifeboats—enough for everyone on board—would make the ship look messy. 

The Titanic was all about beauty. There were many luxuries inside, like the famous grand staircase, a heated swimming pool, a modern gym, four restaurants, and two barber shops. The total cost for all this? About 7.5 million dollars in 1912. That’s over 400 million dollars today.

7.3

Over a hundred years later, the Titanic lies at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, about 3000 meters deep. But how did it sink? On April 14th, 1912, the ship entered dangerous icy waters. It received six warning messages, and the captain turned the ship southward. But he did not slow down. By the time the crew saw an iceberg, it was too late.

In 1985, National Geographic Explorer Robert Ballard and French scientist Jean-Louis Michel discovered the lost shipwreck. They also found many old items that show the human side of the story, like an old notebook that belonged to this 17-year-old passenger. It contains pencil writing you can still read today. 

With the help of new technology, researchers continue to study the Titanic. Our interest in this famous ship is still as strong as ever. If anything, it is the story of the Titanic that is truly unsinkable.